The Nightingale's Song
by AdmirableProcrastinator
Summary: Nightingale is sent to check on an old friend on Batman's orders, that friend being Robin of the Teen Titans. Being the last time they say each other was when she was falling from the top of Wayne Tower in Gotham. Soon she becomes entangled in Titans business and becoming close to a violet haired teammate. But what secrets is she hiding? What secrets will be revealed?
1. Prologue

**Hey guys anri hyuga 15 here with a new fanfiction for you all to ingest and absorb into your brains! Ewe that sounded really gross…but anyways howdy! I am so glad that I can finally put this fanfiction out and to see what you all think about it. You see aside from my** _ **Invader Zim**_ **fandom that I am in, I also was fantasized by the** _ **Teen Titans**_ **series when I was growing up…with no friends…cough…anyways the show was fantastic and still is. I always loved the seriousness of the show and the random comical moments that were there. I always waited for every new season to be announced and when I found out that it was cancelled…well I was devastated. One of my favorite shows on air was not going to continue and it kinda broke me a bit. The thing about me is I get attached to characters in books and shows quickly if I like them enough and well I kinda felt like crap for a while after hearing that information.**

 **Of course I did get over the fact and soon started writing a fanfiction for it whenever I got an idea for one. I ran through a lot of drafts…some got burned because I was frustrated with them and others were too stupid to even be called a decent story until finally, after many years of trying to figure out how it was going to go I came up with this story.** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **has been a long time in the process and I'll tell you something it was a douse. So I am actually glad that I am putting the prologue up this very day.**

 **Summary:** _ **Nightingale is sent to check on an old friend on Batman's orders, that friend being Robin of the Teen Titans. It has been three years since she had seen him since falling off of Wayne Tower in Gotham, now after all this time she finally is able to see what he has been up to. Soon she becomes entangled in the Titans business as she becomes closer to the team and a certain violet haired team member, but secrets still remain between her and the others. What secrets will The Nightingale's Song reveal?**_

 **I know very short summary, but trust me this story is gonna be chocked full of adventure, secrets and mysteries for the Titans and Nightingale to solve. Also some episodes from the show will be in here as well so I hope you enjoy. Also this is a RavenXOC so I hope you like what I have to write about this and please if you have a comment PM me or leave a review and I will get to you as soon as possible. I do not have a set schedule for the chapters to come out so please bare with me on the process. I do also have two other fanfictions that I have out at the moment and am working on new chapters for those as well, so you must be patient. I sadly am but one person doing this and sometimes I get sidetracked or writers block hits me extremely hard in the gut to where it takes me a while to actually get back to what I was doing. There is also the matter of me hopefully getting a job soon so that is another factor for this as well. I will be working at the wonderful place called Walmart and will most likely be working part time and they will have me there most of the week, but I will find as much time as possible to write the chapters for this and my other fanfictions.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans and I never will. That is all owned by big corporations and will stay that way. I only own Nightingale and her origin story.**

 **This has been edited to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading.**

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 **Prologue: The Beginning and the End**

It was a stormy night in Gotham; rain was falling fast as the Bat Signal was raised high onto the grey clouds above as the sound of thunder rumbled through the air after a large bolt of lightning flashed down from the heavens above. Through the rain though, the vigilantes known as Batman and Robin were not affected by the weather in the slightest, stalking quickly through the shadows and across the rooftops of this titular city in pursuit of an old foe. A loud cackle could be heard in front of the two while a man wearing a purple suit with green hair and a hauntingly pale face was running away from the duo, but this was no ordinary thug from the streets of Gotham no this was none other than The Joker. The Joker was one of the many foes Batman had fought over the years and one who never stayed in Arkham Asylum for long. Even now while the duo chases the villain through the puddles and rubble of the buildings below them, he was still cackling at the top of his lungs like it was some enjoyable game to him. The duo was not alone however with someone following close behind them keeping in sync with their steps.

A thirteen-year-old girl followed closely behind the two who continued their chase after the Joker flinching ever so slightly when she heard a bomb being set off by the Clown Prince of Gotham. She wore a black long sleeve shirt with white rings on the sleeves and a slim protective Kevlar vest underneath. Her chest held the symbol of a white bird with its wings outstretched to the ends of her shoulders while her medium length black hair was soaked by the rain. A flash of lightning from above revealed her oval face showing a tan complexion that was partially covered by a domino mask that revealed her sparkling azure blue eyes with flecks of gold-dusted among the blue glimmered with excitement. Her black tights were starting to get soaked through while her steel-toed boots splashed through another puddle continuing to try and stay close to Robin with Batman in the lead. She held onto her composite bow while wearing a pair of fingerless gloves feeling her quiver bounce back and forth on her spine sending her nerves aflame at the sudden jolts, but ultimately ignoring the sensation the more she tried to focus. She glanced over at Robin. They were maybe the same age; it was hard to tell since he was only slightly shorter than her as his spiky hair seemed to add only a little bit more to his height. He wore a similar domino mask just like hers, though they seemed to fulfill the name since they were black with white filling in the area covering the eyes. He had a partial athletic build under his red and green ensemble a red vest covered his green shirt with an "R" inside a circle over on his upper left side while his yellow and black cape moved in the wind violently. She snapped out of her observation to see that Joker had somehow gotten on top of the Wayne Enterprises building with Batman hot on his tail leaving the two of them to catch up in the chase.

When she finally did get to the rooftop she noticed that Joker had set up explosives around the base of the neon sign that was erected on top of the building. Robin was already trying to deactivate the few that were there while Batman and the Joker were throwing punches hearing the villain already giving his monologue about his dastardly plan that he had planned for the letters on the building something about making them fall towards the citizens below? She rushed towards Robin to help disarm any remaining explosives knowing Batman could handle himself against the jokester and it would all be over soon since the outcome was so predictable anymore, but tonight wasn't going to be so simple.

"So Boy Blunder how is the bomb defusing going, which wire is it?" she knelt down next to a bomb near the him already feeling the glare he was giving her from under his mask, but she could tell there was a hint of teasing towards her as he pointed to the green wire on the bomb in front of her. She put her bow over her shoulder and pulled a kukri* from behind her back carefully slipping the curved part of the blade carefully under the wire and lifting up quickly cutting it caused the number to slowly stop while the ticking soon defined. "Seems like this is going to be an ea-."

The girl had spoken too soon hearing a loud thud echo through the air glancing over to see Batman on the ground being pinned by the Joker's cane while the clown laughed manically. "You see Batsy I always have the upper hand on you." A line of blood had appeared on Batman's mouth while he struggled to get up only to be slammed down roughly into the roof by the clown's foot. "It's time to end this little game, right now!" he raised his cane high above his head removing the sheath around it to reveal a long blade inside the cane glittering when another streak of lightning crashed through the sky beginning its quick descent towards the caped crusader's chest.

"Bats!" the girl cried out as she rushed over while a crackle of thunder swallowed up her words while she quickly moved without thinking ignoring the bombs propelling herself forwards between the two foes and blocked the Joker's bladed part of his cane struggling to hold him back. She noticed Bats had rolled away and was standing back up before she glared at the clown in front of her still struggling against his force. "You know Joker, I don't know how that makeup of yours is staying on, but you have to tell me your secret."

The clown grinned at her while anger danced in his psychotic eyes while a large an inhuman grin was planted her way seeing that she was now his new target. He brought his cane away from her to strike again while a large bolt of lightning lit behind them giving her a chance to reach for the other kukri removing it from its sheath ready for whatever was going to be thrown her way. Robin hastily tried to cut the rest of the explosives only to soon realize that they were all fakes before rushing to Batman's side watching the two figures dance around in the rain dodging each other's attacks. He knew fully-well that the bat detective could handle himself in this fight, but that didn't stop him from worrying about the girl who was locked in a duel with the madman as he heard the blades clash again. He helped Batman by trying to assess what wounds were caused to him only for the caped crusader to stand up firmly on his own two feet watching the girl started to make the Joker step back every time their blades hit. The rain was now starting to fall harder feeling like shards of ice were cascading from the heaven while another clap of lighting traveled across the clouds.

"Yeah, you got this Nightingale! Kick his ass!" Robin yelled proud that she was able to even keep up with his unusual fighting style, but soon that pride was replaced with fear as his eyes widened. "Hey look out!"

Nightingale couldn't hear his warning over the roar of the thunder making her turn her head towards him sending a quick smirk trying to reassure him, but she soon could feel the regret filling her body feeling the blade slice down across her chest causing a pained cry to escape from her lips making her stumble back away from him dropping one of her knives in the process. She looked down at her chest and noticed that a large cut had formed from her chest down to her left hip while the blood began to slowly ooze out from the large wound with the red liquid mixing with the black cloth. She glared at the Joker who was wearing a large grin on his face before he repeated his attacks in a continuous sweep only to be blocked every two strikes before her left arm was cut trying to stop a powerful blow. Another cry escaped from her lips before an animalistic snarl escaped from her mouth aimed at the man before her feeling herself losing control as anger bubbled up inside her body making her attack wildly. Though this proved to be a fatal flaw giving the Clown Prince a chance to counter a few more times cutting her lightly over her right eye making her stagger back once more covering her eye seeing the anger soon rolling off her body while her remaining eye started to grow darker. The Joker laughed loud enough for the heavens to hear his cackling while pointing the blade towards her seeing her fresh blood dripping from the tip of the blade to a puddle below challenging her to attack him again.

"Come on little birdy sing me a song will you." He cackled louder hearing Batman and Robin run for her yelling at her to stop and regroup with them, but she could not hear them through the rage that had boiled inside of her making her rush forwards towards the psychopath before her this would prove to be her downfall. He sidestepped making her miss his blade entirely out of her own blind rage with a lightning bolt cracking right near the building with a roar of thunder filling her ears covering the voices of the two other heroes feeling something slip through her body making time slowly tick by. Her knife clattered to the roof when she looked down at her stomach seeing his blade had gone straight through her suit causing more blood to ooze up from the fresh wound feeling a strange liquid bubbling up from her throat coughing up specks of red onto the Joker's sleeves staining them with the red ichor dripping out of her mouth. She heard him laugh again feeling the blade being pushed further gritting her teeth trying to fight back the urge to scream in agony feeling more of the blood dripping from her mouth at this point slipping down her chin and onto the ground below her.

The Joker was almost near the point of skewing her on the weapon seeing the horrified looks on the two masked heroes standing behind her in an unmovable shock unable to help their wounded teammate. He soon pulled the blade out in one quick motion causing the world around her to turn into a whirlwind of chaos with droplets of blood mixed with the rain while it pelted down onto the roof trying to wash away the staining liquid. It started to flow out of the wound quickly as she reached down to try and stop the bleeding only to drop to her knees and looked up at the clown feeling his shoe slam into her side with a powerful kick hurling her towards the edge of the building her arrows scattering from her quiver. She tried to catch herself before she ever rolled over to the edge of the roof to the streets below, but the momentum from the kick was enough to keep her going feeling the solid ground become replaced by open air. She quickly reached her right arm up to grab onto the edge of the building catching herself in time feeling her bow slip off from her body plummeting to the streets below. She struggled to pull herself up by her one hand that was clasped tightly to the edge trying to pull her other arm up to get herself safely back onto the roof, but she felt her left arm desperately try to pull itself up only to go limp a few moments later.

Her vision started to blur from her sudden loss of blood feeling her arm struggle, even more, making her look up seeing her fingers scraping against the wet concrete beginning to slowly lose their grip on her last chance to survive this night. She closed her eyes waiting to see what the end had for her as she felt her grip loosen on its own only to feel a sudden sensation of someone grabbing her wrist before her eyes jerked back open to see who was trying to save her. She looked up to see Robin trying to pull her back up, but he was soon starting to lose his grip with the mixture of blood and rain started to make her arm a slippery mess. She smiled lightly at him feeling a sudden urge to live again as the rain started to wash the blood from her face giving her another chance to try and use her left arm, but to no avail. She could hear the caped crusader putting up a brutal fight against the Joker seeing that Robin was now pressing his body down against the wet roof causing some of the standing water to splash over her feeling his grip slip ever so slightly the sensation from earlier filling her mind again. A voice whispered in her head to make him let go and that she would be fine that if she would just let it be in control for just a moment, but she didn't want to listen looking up at her friend solemnly.

"Geez Boy Blunder always trying to be the hero at the last second huh...?" she chuckled lightly at her nickname for him knowing it might be the last time she ever mutters it only for it turned into a coughing fit while a pained expression crossed her face tasting the specks of blood that splattered her lips leaving a metallic taste in her mouth. "Just let go, Robin, I'll be alright."

"I can't let go, because if I do you'll...you'll..." he stuttered trying to avoid the three letter word that wanted to pass across his lips while he stared down at her helpless on what to do in this situation. He felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach while memories flashed in his mind of the day he lost his parents not wanting to go through the pain again.

"Robin if you don't we'll both be marks on the pavement..." she sputtered out at him in anger only to feel him try to pull her up again with what little strength he had left feeling a low and painful sigh escape from her mouth feeling hot tears building at the back of her eyes. "Dicky...please...just let me go..."

He looked at her again with a sorrowful face feeling her fingers finally slip away from his hand beginning her plummet down to the streets below. She watched the panic slowly flow into his features while trying to reach over the edge, but it was already too late to grab onto any part of her with her name soon ripping through the air trying to scream above the storm surrounding Gotham in an echoed howl of pain.

" **Nightingale!** "

Nightingale closed her eyes with a small smile gracing her lips feeling the air rush around her while she continued her decent from the building hearing his final words echo from the top of the building in a mixture of terror and sadness. Words echoed in her mind like someone was telling her to do something, but she couldn't will herself to do anything feeling that her fate had already been sealed on this night. The thunder rumbled around her as another lightning strike fell from the heavens above her when her eyes snapped open revealing her azure eyes had changed to a purple hue with black starting to slowly pool into the whites of her eyes. Black flecks soon started to travel through the air and rain around her while she gritted her teeth words escaped from her throat though they went unheard of while the thunder continued to rumble above her. The sound of her costume tearing from the back was covered by the sound that echoed in the air feeling her decent slow to a halt hovering for a brief moment only to glide gently to the ground landing near the corner of the building before limped to the alleyway nearby feeling something slip back into her body causing a rough shiver to travel through her spine. The sound of pain echoed in her throat the more she moved while the purple coloring disappeared from her eyes feeling her body become heavier and heavier the furthered she moved. She soon slumped against the wall as ragged breaths escaped from her throat feeling herself slide down against the brick wall with the red liquid staining it leaving her mark there. Her eyes flickered open and shut constantly with the rain subsided and the sound of police sirens echoed through the alley not even giving her time to think her final thoughts until the sound of footsteps started to approach her. She looked up and smiled somberly at the six-foot figure in front of her cloaked in black before soon falling unconscious feeling the numb sensation travel through her body unable to feel that the figure had picked her from the pile she had plopped herself on.

 _Three years later..._

It was a quiet night in Gotham city while sixteen-year-old girl stared out from the bay window of her apartment looking out into the night sky to spot the Bat Signal was raised high once again in the grey clouds that always hung above the city. Her ears picked up the sound of a siren going off from a bank down the street while her azure eyes watched curiously with a smirk on her face spotting the three men carrying large bags of cash rush down the sidewalk below her before disappearing in an alleyway five buildings up. She shook her head an unamused look appeared on her face hugging her legs close to her chest while the itching urge to go after the crooks burned in the back of her head, but knowing it would have been fruitless. She stood up carefully feeling her black shorts hanging loosely off her frame only to adjust her work out shirt pulling it out a bit to straighten out the wrinkles that had formed. Her tan skin glowing under the light from the lamp from the other side of the room while her medium length black hair was pulled back into a small bun only letting a small piece slipped through covering her right eye before being brushed off to the side revealing a barely visible scar. She smiled a bit before grabbing a roll of bandages from her desk to start the slow process of properly wrapping them around her left hand and up to her knuckles before tearing it away from the roll with her teeth before taping it down with a small amount of medical tape repeating the process on the other hand. Her thin mouth straightened while her eyes steeled over while she took a stance in front of a punching bag that was hanging from her ceiling.

She took a deep breath before hurling a hard right hook towards the bag causing it to shake and shutter before she whirled around and brought her left leg crashing into the lower part of the bag while pain shot up through her ankle and up her leg ignoring the pain for now dropping it back down quickly doing a few ducks and weaves pretending to dodge a few invisible punches coming her way. She threw a left punch and then slammed another right hook before she started to pepper the bag her strikes becoming faster and harder the more she started to concentrate remembering the night that caused her to end up like this a washed-up hero who lost out on her prime. The anger swelled in her chest knowing that wasn't true she was still able to at least do something, but this was Batman's...no Bruce's idea of staying low. After her fight with the Joker Bruce made sure to make her appear dead to the public and the newspapers ate it up of course, but this was a far stretch from the truth when in reality she was taken to a private wing of a hospital in Gotham and was sent through extensive rehab to get her body back to normal not even Robin knew that she was alive. The scar across her chest and arm were enough for her to want revenge against the Joker, but to him, she was just another person to add to his kill count. The rage continued to seethe from her body making her punch harder and harder with every swing before she felt her fist go straight through the worn bag ripping it open pouring sand everywhere on the lament floor of the apartment.

She breathed heavily kicking the sand up in the air only being slightly startled by the deep voice resonating from behind her. "Your stance was off and you curled your fist wrong again."

She turned to see the hulking six-foot figure of the Batman looming in front of her window to the outside world that had somehow been unlocked from the outside. She frowned at him beginning her process of unwrapping the bandages from her hands stretching them carefully to pool the circulation back into them before throwing the wadded bandages into the trash. She looked back towards the towering figure before her seeing his stoic face trying to analyze him, but even that was starting to become bothersome she knew what lied underneath that mask…a man who was broken long ago by the world's corruption. She honestly couldn't judge him for being like that after all she was created the same way her outlook on the world had changed from such a colorful view to the hard black and white truth with her struggling to stay in the middle ground grey area, but even that was starting to become hard to even realize that the world could be so cruel.

"So what is it to you Bats...or should I call you Bruce since you are alone here with me?" she replied with a harsh tone at the man who had saved her life moving across the room towards a lone closet turning her back towards him with her hands on the knobs ready to open it turning her head back towards her former mentor. "You know I was perfectly fine dying that night three years ago Bruce so what brings you here oh great Batman?"

saw him narrow his eyes towards her in an unamused look to hear him speak again, but this time she was a bit surprised at his request. "I need you to locate Robin and inform me on what he's been doing."

"Why? He doesn't know that I'm still alive thanks to you, so what's the point? Nightingale is dead to the world outside this room Bruce. What is in it for me?" She paused for a moment taken aback by his words, but this was a very small moment hearing a low and annoyed sigh escaped from her throat while she began to slowly open the closet door turning on her heels and moving out of the way to reveal the contents that were inside. A glass case held her old and torn costume clinging to a mannequin while newspaper clippings of her hero days with a few pictures she had of her and Robin in costume when she ran into him on patrols along with the lone kukri that was given back to her only a few days after her mistake lie in the sheath attached to her utility belt. Her gloves were in the hands of the mannequin while a replica bow hung loosely in its hands with an empty quiver attached to its back. She turned to stare at the costume her eyes dulled slightly feeling the memories rushed through her like a roaring wave only to turn away from the case. "Besides Bats...I don't have a costume."

"Alfred will have that arranged once you come with me to the Bat Cave." He spoke in a calm yet serious tone noticing a frown forming on her face when she turned her head towards him knowing fully well that he wasn't going to be giving her a choice in the matter. She sighed lightly and opened the case hesitating to reach for her blade before shaking the dark thoughts from her mind unclipping it from her old utility belt the lingering smell of old leather hung around her while she closed her eyes thinking about her options before another low sigh escaped from her throat filled with essences of defeat.

"Fine I'll do it, but on one condition, I decide when to give you my report and I design my old costume the way I had it," she state firmly seeing him nod in agreement to her conditions giving her a feeling that she was somewhat in control of the situation before grabbing a pair of jeans and a worn shirt with an unrecognizable logo on it. "And you don't have a say when I can submit my little reports to you."

She didn't wait for his reply before shut herself away in the bathroom to get dressed catching a glimpse of the scar over her chest feeling the memory well over her seeing Robin cry out for her when she fell from the building making her grip the sides of her sink trying to stop the memories from flooding her again. She knew it was probably haunting him in the back of his mind just like how he was unable to...she shook that thought from her head remembering that she was there when that incident happened. She ran her fingers slowly across the scar until leading to a smaller part that dipped off where Joker had thrusted his blade through her body. She frowned at that memory getting tired of reminiscing throwing the shirt on and pulled the pants over her legs before walking out and slipping on her only pair of shoes that she had slip-on that had been a present from Bruce for her sixteen birthday that had only happened a few months back. Batman had already gone through her window again and was probably waiting for her in the Batmobile in some secluded alley nearby. She turned and looked at the small shabby apartment she had called home for the last three years knowing this would be the last time she would see it. She opened the door and stepped out of the threshold before closing the door behind her and locking it tight leaving the apartment full of silence only to be pierced by the sound of a car screeching past the building filled the air of the silent night. The police sirens wailed near them when they passed by the three robbers strung up by a rope hanging from a light pole. Nightingale stared at the world around her soon became swallowed in the thoughts about a certain red and green cladded hero that often plagued her mind.

 _'Don't worry Dicky...I'll see you soon and I...I have so much I have to explain to you._ ' She reaffirmed to herself trying to control her nerves knowing there were so many things that she wanted to explain to the hero and so many regrets.

Her mind soon drifted away hearing the familiar sound of the engine rumbling started to make her ache for sleep which didn't sound like a bad idea after all she hadn't slept decently in weeks. A low hum soon started to go abuzz in her mind hearing the voice from that night rumbling sounding like it disapproved of her wanting sleep, but she didn't want to deal with it not right now...not when it had been so quiet over the past few months. She soon went back to ignoring it the soft sound of the tires of the Batmobile running along the pavement her final thoughts once again swallowing her whole her azure eyes drifting closed to the memories flooding back into her mind a small smile graced her lips wondering how much her friend had changed over the past three years...and what new possible adventures would be in store for her?

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 ***** _ **Fairy Tail Zero**_ **Opening Plays***

 **And that is the end of the prologue everyone for my story and I hope you enjoyed it immensely. It took me a while to transfer this from handwriting to the actual word document and now to here on this website, but I am glad that it is finally up. Please feel free to review and PM me on how you feel about this prologue and I will respond to you as quickly as I can.**

 **Nightingale was in a bit of a pinch there, but a certain power…um well, curse saved her, but you will learn about that later on. I don't want to spoil anything to you wonderful readers since you just probably happened to click on this to either see if it was trash or if you were bored, but I am glad that you read it or even skimmed through it.**

 **Chapter one will be up at some point just gotta figure out where Nightingale would be at since I am also doing this along with the episodes and some of my own personal chapters to further the plot of this fanfiction. If anyone has any suggestions messages me and I will see what I can do and where I can start. Now personally I am tired as hell after writing this, but I will answer questions tomorrow when I wake up.**

 **Thank you and please PM and Review me if you have anything you want to say, even if it is on my grammar, I will enjoy reading it.**

 **Again thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter One

**Howdy people I am back with the first chapter for** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **! So glad to see that some people actually liked it…though I dunno about the six page review I got made any sense, but still thanks for whoever reviewed anonymously, because that…that was a fun thing to read. Anyways I am glad that you guys enjoyed the beginning of this wonderful fanfic…that will be bloody as hell. Yes…blood for days, I am actually joking by the way. I'm not really a gore hound, I guess that is what it would be called, but really I am just happy more people like my stories. Now the story is gonna start after Nightingale leaves the Bat Cave and has traveled all the way to the city that the tower is located at, which according to the lore is located in Jump City and has been scoping out the chance to surprise Robin with her appearance…maybe breaking into the tower is a great idea?**

 **In the Night is the title of this chapter's name and it took me maybe a day to figure out the title being I love giving witty titles for these stories that you guys probably don't think are funny…but I find myself funny…I need more friends. I have some good news though, I have an interview at Walmart and I am extremely excited to start working there in the first place. It's been about two…three months since I have had a job, so this is gonna be an interesting experience. I am going to be working maybe three or four days out of the week and only get maybe two or three random days off where I can clean out apartment and write, which is what I plan to do. I have been in the mood to write throughout last and this month so I am very surprised at myself and that my writers block hasn't kicked in and I hope it stays that way. I just love watching the stats on my stories rise and waiting for the reviews to come in and hear what everyone has to say about the stories. I encourage that you review, but if you don't want to that is totally fine and I enjoy that you like the story I am writing and to tell the truth I am actually glad more people are reading these.**

 **Also I have thought against using the episodes as a basis for the story for now, but I will be including some of them, but this will mostly be my own chapters that I come up with and I will at some point include the episodes if I have to and might have them up out of the order they were originally in. I just thought I should fill you in on this.**

 **Another thing that I learned about was the beloved Adam West died after his short battle with leukemia and I am sad that Batman is dead…well he was also Catman from** _ **The Fairly OddParents**_ **and the mayor of Quahog in** _ **Family Guy**_ **, but he was a large part of my childhood growing up and I am sad that he died, but the man lived a good life and enjoyed every moment that was given to him. Am I sad that an icon is gone? Yes I am, but he was and always will be that icon, no matter how much time passes.**

 **We all will miss you Batman.**

 **So now my wonderful readers it is time to indulge your brains into this story yes? But first the disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, I never will and I only own my character Nightingale and her origins. I own nothing else and the characters are owned by the respected people. Also I do not own** _ **Nightingale's Eyes**_ **, that is from a wonderful game called** _ **Dragon Age: Inquisition**_ **and I cannot write a song to save my life mind you. Also…it seems fitting to use it.**

 **Also warning mild nudity for all you people out there. Just warning you for the greater good so you don't get surprised.**

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 **Chapter One: In the Night**

 _A week before storming the tower_

After Nightingale was brought to the Bat Cave that fateful night and was given her new uniform and informed on what Robin had been up to caused her to worry only slightly. Robin had run off a year before after a fight with Batman over something, though she was half listening over what it was that caused the dynamic duo to start arguing and hadn't come back, which was the part that worried her. Robin, even though she only knew him for upmost a year and a half since they met in her early superhero days, she still knew only little about the boy wonder himself aside from his parents dying and that Batman took him under his wing to become a crime fighter like him and she understood that Bats never really treated him as his equal sometimes, hell even she was only treated as an informant now, but she still at least got some respect from the caped crusader. Alfred had taken her away from the small debriefing that she had with Bats soon after to get suited up in her new gear, which is where we find her now, staring at the long mirror in a small dressing room that was built in the Bat Cave just for occasions like this.

She was slightly hesitant to change into the new costume, noting it was similar to her old one as the white nightingale was spread wide across the chest, biting her lip as the memories flooded her mind at the thought of wearing the suit again would bring her new mindset crumbling since she had been a civilian for so long. She took a deep breath and started to strip down into only her grey sports bra that held her small breast up and a pair of grey woman's briefs that held tight to her hips. She stared at the long white scar that ran from her upper chest to her left hip as she started to feel the old wound ache slightly. A smaller scar had dipped from the center as it was the fatal blow that caused her down fall, it was hell dealing with the pain of getting stabbed like that, but the year of rehab was much worse. The Joker's blade had sliced near her spine and even hit a few internal organs, causing some nerves to be sliced in the process of the weapon being pulled out. She grimaced at remembering the nurses trying to help as much as possible with the phantom pains, but they were only able to do so much for her.

She picked up the top of the costume and felt the fabric, breathable and strong, and from what Alfred said it could withstand bullets with the new Wayne Tech fibers that were woven in to be even better than Kevlar. She slid on the shirt slowly, slightly feeling nostalgic to the first time she ever threw on the superhero get up as she stared at the top, feeling it hugging snuggly to her body as she grabbed the tights that were made out of the same material, wondering how Alfred knew her measurements…then again the butler did make her a lot of handmade clothes over the years that she had been near the Bat family, even helping her design her original costume. She smiled lightly as she slipped the steel toed boots on her feet, tapping her toes to the floor making sure her feet had the room when she heard Alfred knock on the door of the booth.

"Ms. Blackwater are you almost done? You have been in there for some time…" she heard his muffled voice through the wood, flinching at her own last name. She hadn't heard anyone say that name to her in a long time, as she stared back into the mirror, feeling old memories flood back as she shook her head, making them go away for now, being reminded that she was the only heir to that name was enough to kill her mood. She smiled lightly as she grabbed the last touch on her costume, her mask that was hanging from a hook near the mirror from one of the eye holes. She closed her eyes and placed it on her face as she opened them, her azure eyes glowing as she saw her costume finally completed as she slid her fingerless gloved over her hands. She opened the door to find a surprised butler, though he was only surprised for a second as he went back to his normal calm demeanor as he sent her a small smile. "It fits you perfectly Ms…I mean Nightingale."

"Well Alfred for a man you are spectacular at designing clothes." She winked at him, earning a small chuckle from the butler as they both started walking as she silently looked around at the Bat Cave, memories filling her as she trained with Robin and Bats in all sorts of combat, her favorite being boxing as she could almost knock the bat vigilante and the boy blunder on their ass, but she would never reveal that out loud. Bruce had updated the tech and coded everything regularly in the cave, to keep up with anyone that was trying to hack into his systems and learning his weaknesses or even discovering who he was. She stared in awe at the giant penny as the started to get closer to the vehicles, noticing that the Batmobile had been missing from its spot on the center platform. She looked around also to see that Bruce was absent as well, betting that he had run off to save the city of Gotham as it was imperil…again, causing his responsibilities to be dumped onto his butler to fill her in on anything else she missed. He soon stopped at a small private jet that looked as if it was just coated in a new layer of shiny black paint as she looked at him as curiosity filled her.

"Master Bruce has went out on a urgent call from the chief of police, so he has left me to inform you on where you will be staying when you get to your destination." He brought down the stairs to enter the jet as he looked at her. "He has set up an apartment for you to stake out how Robin is doing, he has made it very clear that you are only to observe Master Grayson and not to engage, though when you report to him is up to you, though I would not suggest making him wait too long." He held his hand out to help her up onto the first few steps before continuing. "Though…I am not Master Bruce and I have no control over what you do Nightingale." He smiled and winked at her, causing her to giggle at the butler. "So if you do make contact with Master Grayson then that is your choice, just be careful. For all we both know he does not know that you are alive and who knows how he would react to that idea."

"Trust me my dear Alfred I can handle anything Dicky throws at me so I believe I will be alright." She smiled at him as the stairs started to close as she finally got into the jet, hearing Alfred's voice echo through the cab, meaning that he had a microphone on him so that he could continue to talk. She whistled lightly as she sat down in one of the seat, Italian leather at its finest. "Geez Bruce did go all out for this little venture."

"This jet is automatically controlled by the computers in the bat cave and will take you to your destination smoothly and is stocked with a small fridge and a microwave that contain some food and drink for you on your trip." She listened carefully as she heard the engines roar awake as she buckled her seatbelt in. "Your weapons are stored in a closet near the small kitchen area that holds the fridge and microwave and…" a sigh could be heard over the speakers as she covered her ears slightly to block the noise out. "Celine be careful will you? We do not need another instance of you fall off a building covered in cuts and a hole in your abdomen again." She could tell that he was joking, but there was a sense of sincerity to what he was saying. She grinned and gave him an okay sign as she started to feel the jet move, knowing that the butler knew she understood him as she finally heard the speakers go silent as the jet rolled out of the bat cave and started to go higher and higher from the ground. She watched from her window as the bright lights of Gotham started to disappear from her sight at the clouds started to roll over the city, causing her to sigh and lean back against the leather seat before unbuckling herself and seeing what else was here remembering Alfred saying something about her weapons.

She strolled down the aisle as she felt her ears pop at the sudden rise in altitude as she reached the closet door, opening it to reveal a new composite bow and her lone dagger on the hooks. She grabbed the bow and threw it over her shoulder as she grabbed the utility belt that the dagger hung on, looping it along her waist as she finally clipped it together, noticing the white "N" in the center as a knew decoration. She smiled lightly noticing a quiver full of arrows was on the floor of the closet as she picked them up, not even bothering to put them on her back since she didn't need them at the moment as she started to head back to her seat, knowing that it would only take maybe four hours for her to end up in Jump City air space from Gotham. She sighed lightly as she sat down, her eyes slightly feeling heavy as she started to drift off, dreaming of nothing, only static seemed to cloud her mind as the memory of seeing Robin's face twisted into a face of horror as she fell from the building, wondering how he would truly feel about her being alive all that time. She learned that they had held a funeral for her that she secretly watched, knowing that only her hero persona was on the tombstone. Celine Blackwater was alive and well, but only Alfred and Bruce knew who she truly, leaving Robin out of the picture. She frowned slightly as she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling of the jet, noticing it was polished mahogany. She reached behind herself and pulled the kukri from its sheath and stared at the curved blade, noting that Alfred had sharpened it finely as she ran her thumb across and noting how sharp it was as she stuck her thumb in her mouth to have the taste of blood fill her mouth. She observed the dagger further as she looked at the butt, noticing her family crest faintly imprinted on there, as it was from the last time she tried to scratch it away. She frowned more and put the dagger back in its sheath before closing her eyes again, feeling sleep take hold her as the static again filled her mind with nothingness.

 _Three days before storming the tower_

Ever since Celine landed in the Jump City area, she always noticed that the apartment Bruce had put her in was close to the Titans Tower in the center of the bay. She learned over the four days that she had been living there that Robin had formed a team called the Teen Titans and they were the crime fighters of this area and were really good at their job. She of course started to do her own research on the files that Bruce had sent her only two days ago, but there was not much on his teammates that she could go on. She huffed as she threw the papers in the air, causing them to cascade slowly as she slammed her head into the desk, the limited information was getting her nowhere and she still had no way of getting in contact with Robin. She sighed lightly and turned off her computer as she got up from her chair. She ran her fingers through her hair as she got up, her lose blue shirt hung off her frame as the black pajama pants held tight to her waist. She had brought her own card with her, being the sole survivor of your family's fortune gave her a lot of wiggle room to invest smartly to continue to increase her money, so that she would not have to rely on Bruce for everything as she started to get dressed for the day and throwing on a grey shirt with a band name on it and a pair of slim skinny jeans along with a pair of grey converse. She decided it was time to leave her luxurious apartment to explore the city again, tucking her costume in a book bag she carried around with her as she combed her hair and brushed her teeth to finally be ready for the day.

She closed the door behind her as she walked down the brightly lit hallway before jumping into the first empty elevator she could spot. As it passed through all the floors and opened to the lobby of the building she soon started to quicken her pace, not wanting to talk to anyone today as she stepped outside to be assaulted by the bustling city around her, coughing slightly as the cars passed by leaving exhaust to fill the air around her as she started to walk down the sidewalk, walking past people who were rushing off to work or enjoying the casually sunny day outside as she passed a few shops filled to the brim with trinkets and souvenirs for any tourist that was visiting the city, even small figures of the Titans themselves. She stopped for a second and glanced over the figures, spotting Robin as the one on the center, still wearing his costume that Batman had given him, then what she guessed was the tank of the group being Cyborg…his name being explanatory of what he was to his right and a short green boy in a purple jump suit standing next to the robotic being and was named Beast Boy for his ability to change into many animals from big to small, even extinct for that matter. She glanced over to his left side to see a girl with orange skin and bright green eyes using a piece of plastic to hold her in the air, Starfire was her name, but not much information was on her, aside from her being an alien that landed here escaping from something no doubt as she finally she glanced past Starfire to see a blue cloaked figure as the last of the team members, Raven was her name and even Batman, the great detective himself, had less than nothing on information about her…and this made Celine curious about who she was. She sighed and started to walk away from the shop and become swallowed in the crowd again, hearing the muffled voiced of people passing by as she was lost in her own thoughts.

As she walked a few more blocks away from her apartment building she heard a loud crash up ahead as a cloud of dust and debris rose above the buildings as she soon saw people running away from the source of the panic. She smiled lightly as she rushed forward, wondering what could be the reason for such a large dust cloud, but that should be easy to answer once she got closer. As she neared the area she noticed a sturdy fire escape was attached to a medium sized building as she tried to jump closer to the ladder, able to grab it upon her second attempt to pull herself up and climb to the platforms. She soon started to rush, hoping that she wouldn't miss anything as she finally got to the top of the building to see the fight below her, a small grin appeared on her face as she pulled a pair of binoculars out of her backpack she had always stored there just for this moment. She watched as the Titans fought against what she could see were five other people of their age group…villains? She watched closer as Robin pointed for the others to advance as a small child in a robot, what she could guess from this close was yelling loudly to the others of his group to attack. She frowned a little bit as she noticed the other team had a magic user, but it seemed the mysterious Raven was able to take her out so easily, she shook her head as she soon moved to focus on Robin. She was not here to focus on her, though her magic might be dangerous if left unchecked…she shook her head again.

"Damn it I'm not focusing on who I should be…" she moved as she noticed that Beast Boy and Cyborg were dealing with the boy and his robot, slightly chuckling as she heard a loud "Booyah!" be acclimated so loudly. She pulled out a notebook as she started to jot down notes on each titan as she scanned them all over to find her target. It was much better than what Batman had gathered on any of them. She smiled a bit when she finally spotted Robin taking on a mammoth of a man, using his bow staff to lift himself off the ground to slam the person in the face, but it wasn't affected to say the least when she heard a loud yell escape from the large man as he brought his meaty fist down onto Robin. She frowned as she reached into her bag, pulling out a small bow as she flicked her wrist, making it the actual size, slightly glad that Alfred thought of making it collapsible. "I was hoping to make my presence known later, but it seems you need a little help Boy Blunder…" she smiled. "You still take on people bigger than you…I'm glad that hasn't changed." Reaching again she grabbed one of the few arrows she actually carried with her for this type of situation as she stood up to take a better shot. She pulled the arrow back near her right cheek as she closed her right eye to aim. She took a slow breath in before exhaling and letting the arrow fly and watching it speed towards the big man's right hand.

 _Down below as the arrow was nearing its target_

Robin gritted his teeth as he was ready to try and hold off Mammoth's attack as he brought his bow staff up to try and hold his beefy hands from smashing him to pieces. He stood ready for the attack, but it never came down on him. He heard a small whistle through the air as he watched as something flew straight for his opponent's hand as it embedded into him, causing the big idiot to scream in pain as he grabbed his hand, making Robin notice an arrow had dug its way into his dorsal side of his right hand. It wasn't in deep though as the big oaf soon snarled slightly as he tried to yank it out, giving Robin enough time to strike. He charged and slammed the end of his staff into Mammoth's chin, causing his opponent to bite down on his tongue, causing a pained expression to come across their face, but this was not the end of his assault. He looked at the arrow again to see it was sturdy enough to almost lift him up to finish the job quickly as he rushed for Mammoth's hand and grabbed onto the arrow, lifting himself up in the air as he lifted his staff again to slam it straight down onto the oaf's head. It was enough to incapacitate him as he soon started to waver and fall to the ground, as Robin started to fall back to the ground he noticed that someone on a nearby building was standing and watching him and the titans…another one of Slade's lackeys? If so then why did they help him with his fight in the first place or were they aiming for him and Mammoth got in the way? He focused more and notice they were running off, knowing that they had been spotted. He frowned lightly as he soon landed carefully on the sidewalk as he noticed the others were done with their own opponents.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were congratulating themselves as Gizmo was screeching about that they shouldn't have taken him down as quickly as they did while put some cuffs on him. Jinx was enclosed in a black bubble as Raven looked over at him, wondering what their leader saw as two other members of H.I.V.E Five seemed to be running away, but Beast Boy soon was on their tail as a dog and was closing in as they rounded the corner. Starfire soon floated down near him as he pulled the arrow out of Mammoth's hand as he lied unconscious as he soon started to inspect it. The tip was slightly dull, but still possessed the ability to pierce skin. The feathers on the end made him slightly curious as they were black and white…making a memory flash in his head as Nightingale crossed his mind. He shook his head as he frowned, this couldn't possibly be hers…she was dead. He noticed the rest of the titans were giving him looks as if they were worried, he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Good job Titans, the officers should be arriving soon to pick up the H.I.V.E Five soon so we better move. Beast Boy seems to be rounding up the last two, so Cyborg go after him to make sure they are secured." He started at the arrow in his hand again. "The rest of us will return to Titan's Tower…"

Starfire looked at the arrow and tilted her head in slight confusion. "Robin…is that arrow of great importance?"

He shook his head a bit as he sighed. "Someone was watching the fight and it would seem that they were probably trying to gather intelligence on either us or our opponents." He held the arrow out to all of them as he watched them look at it quizzically. "If I analyze it at the tower maybe I can find the source of where it came from." The others nodded as Cyborg soon ran off to catch up to Beast Boy as the others soon started to head back, only leaving Raven to glance up at the building near them, wondering what person would be watching them and for what reason.

 _Back with our black haired heroine_

Nightingale dropped down into the alley were the fire escape was as she clutched her bow to her chest as her back pack hung off one of her left shoulder as she breathed heavily, she hadn't shot an arrow in three years…and being able to do it again was slightly exhilarating, but she soon felt another emotion cloud over her as she shook more. The feeling of regret soon filled her body as she started to feel sick, but she fought to keep her composure as she heard a motorcycle roll by as she looked to catch a glance of a red motorcycle, Robin's probably as he was trailed behind by Starfire. She didn't spot Raven with them, though she guessed the violet haired magic user was preoccupied with keeping the villains in place. She took a deep breath as she collapsed her bow back to its smaller form to put it back into the book bag, slightly worried if the way she interfered would affect what she was going to do. She soon started to go along her way as she tried to think of another way to get closer to at least one of the Titans, maybe even get a chance to get a key card off of them to enter the building. She frowned lightly as she kept trying to think of what she could do as she strolled past a music shop, causing her to stop in front of the window.

She glanced over the items, noticing a black guitar was hanging inside the shop, as if it was calling out to her she even noticed a small design of a bird on body of the acoustic instrument. She smiled a bit as she soon went to the door of the shop, wondering if her new plan would work as the gears grinded in her head as she purchased the instrument, making sure to get the grungy and busted case she could get as she carried the key part of her new plan. She soon started to walk around her new surroundings again, trying to guess what the Titans were doing now, but she could guess they were waiting for the next villains attack…or maybe they were probably analyzing the arrow she shot at the oaf attacking Dicky. She groaned slightly as she slapped her free hand against her head…she was just going on old instincts since his teammates were preoccupied by their respective opponents. As the day went on she wondered what Dicky would think once she revealed herself to him…would he be angry? Happy? Or even depressed? She sighed as she soon felt her feet take her back to her apartment, wondering what she was going to make as she mulled over her plan again, noting the boardwalk would be a perfect place to enact it. She smiled lightly as she entered the elevator to her floor, knowing that this plan might fail…but it would not hurt for her to give it a try anyways right? What good guy wouldn't pass up the chance to help someone down on their luck?

 _A day before storming the tower_

She stood on the boardwalk watching as people passed by as she strummed a few notes to get some people's attention to at least drop a few cents in her guitar case, though she was lucky the security was slightly lax at her playing without a license. For today she wore just a plain grey shirt with another pair of skinny jeans and the same grey converse from before as she leaned against the a medium sized post on the pier. She noticed a few people were stopping to listened, to only throw a few pennies and maybe a random nickel in the mix as she glanced down at her small haul, but that wasn't what she was worried about. She had to guess that after the battle with the villains that they would maybe take a break, maybe stroll around the pier to get a chance to be normal. She started to strum again as she repositioned her fingers on the neck to play higher notes, getting ready for her chance to see maybe even one of the Titans when she spotted the tall bald form of Cyborg pushing through the small crowds of people at the pier with Beast Boy in tow. It was lucky that she was able to spot two of the Titans as she noticed a blue cloaked figure following them, as if they were trying to keep their distance from the two loud team members. She smiled lightly as she started to strum as a familiar tune popped into her head, though she couldn't remember where she had read the sheet music, but it was her favorite. The words soon started to build at the back of her throat as she started to sing along with the cords she was playing, her voice sounded as soft as silk.

 _Nightingale's eyes_

 _What secrets lies_

 _In their worth?_

 _Raven's tears they cry,_

 _But all the while_

 _They softly lie and spy on you_

People passing by soon started to stop and listen to the song she was singing as the words seemed to spill from her lips as memories filled her head, her mother watching her play…her father slightly worried about the song she was singing, but she soon watched them fade as she noticed that people were starting to make a small crowd around her as she could barely see the Titans, wondering if they could hear…even worrying about her plan working make her anxious, but she had to keep playing to see what would happen.

 _Nightingale's eyes_

 _What will they find_

 _Left behind?_

 _Craven master spy,_

 _With hearts remiss_

 _For those who could not find the truth_

Her eyes scanned between the small crowd as she noticed that Raven had stopped her walking to noticed the crowd, she could barely see her eyes under her cowl as she started to move closer, seeming to be slightly curious about what everyone was listening to, she was slightly surprised that the other female member of the Titans was the one to get caught in her plan, partially she was planning on Beast Boy so she could get closer to swipe the card that they carried to get into Titans tower. ' _It's gonna be much harder for her to get it off of Raven than Beast Boy…but it's a nice challenge._ ' She thought as she kept playing smiling a bit.

 _We're blinded_

 _So we're hiding_

 _Dying to be_

 _We're hiding_

 _From the fighting,_

 _Longing to see_

Cyborg and Beast Boy had noticed that their hooded companion had walked over to the small crowd around her as she looked through the crowd to see that Raven had somehow came to the front of the group to make her slightly take a small and sharp breath when she finally saw her eyes, a violet color almost as beautiful as her own azure eyes. A small blush crept onto her cheeks as she tried to ignore what she was thinking about her eyes as she noticed her cloak was covering her body, so it would be immensely harder to even get the card, but she spotted the two other Titans moving through the crowd, spotting Beast Boy's belt around his waist, causing her to smile again.

 _We're waiting_

 _For someone to speak_

 _And set us all free_

 _Nightingale's eyes_

 _Can free the ties_

 _On our hands_

 _Craven master spies_

 _Can they find_

 _The key that can unlock the past?_

 _We're hiding_

 _From the fighting_

 _Longing to see_

She knew that the song was almost over with as she finally saw that the other two titans were finally near Raven, looking slightly confused as they looked at their hooded companion, probably wondering why she was listening to someone play a guitar and singing an odd song. She looked down at Beast Boy's belt, wondering where the card could be as she started to strum the last notes of the song, feeling the words softly leave her mouth as she closed her eyes.

 _We're waiting_

 _For someone to speak_

 _And set us all free…Free_

Applause could be heard and a few whistles were let out from people's mouths as she opened her eyes again to see that many of the tourist that even stopped were throwing dollars and maybe a few fives into her case as she turned her guitar around to her back as she bowed at them, smiling the whole time as she spotted Beast Boy whistling along with Cyborg clapping a bit, though the two only heard the few ending lines of the song. Her eyes landed on Raven as she noticed the hooded girl seemed to be avoiding looking at her as she could only see her lower fa…was that a smile on her lips? The crowd started to disburse around her as the three titans dropped maybe five dollars in whole from their own person's, but she noticed that Beast Boy had pulled out a wallet and revealed a silver card with a long black strip on top. She smiled a bit as she reached into her back pocket and picked three shiny black balls from it, but before they noticed something was up, she threw them onto the ground, causing a cloud of dark smoke to form around her and the Titans. She reached for Beast Boy wallet as the three were alarmed at her sudden hostility. She slipped the card out of the pouch it was in as she slipped a replica into its place as she grabbed her guitar case and ran, closing it as she did so.

She cleared through the smoke as she heard Beast Boy cry out in shock, yelling about her taking his wallet as she smirked a bit, though she did feel a bit guilt as she as a hero and stealing was beneath her. She rushed off the boardwalk, dodging the security with ease as she felt a small laugh escape from her throat as she rushed into the crowded streets, wondering why she even laughed in the first place as she looked behind her to see a green hawk was chasing after her with Raven and Cyborg behind as they moved through the crowd. The three of them had to give chase, stealing from superheroes was something that was stupid, but for a random street performer it wasn't unheard of. Raven frowned slightly as she knew running after the person who stole Beast Boy's wallet was going to take a bit as she phased through the ground through a black portal as she soon tried to catch up to the thief. She soon materialized in an alley way not to far from where they thief was last headed as she hid in the shadows, waiting only for a moment when she saw the girl go around the corner and press herself against the wall, breathing heavily as a small smile appeared on their face. She rooted through the wallet as Raven stepped out of the shadows.

"You won't find anything valuable in there. He only has a few more bucks and two coupons to Pizza Corner." Raven said in a monotone voice, causing the girl to jump a bit as she turned to see her getting closer. She noticed the girl sigh and look down, her azure eyes seeming to glow slightly with specks of gold as if they were contemplating on what to do before letting out a low sigh and throwing the wallet at Raven, she caught it in her hand as she raised an eyebrow at the thief. "You're not gonna take the money…?"

"As you said there is no point in taking it if it's only a few bucks and two coupons for a pizza place, by the way you should tell him they are expired." She smiled at the hooded figure as she moved closer and flipped her cowl off, revealing violet hair and slightly grey skin; a red gem adorned her forehead as she saw the violet eyed girl glare at her as she rushed to pull her cowl back on as she started to walk away. "Oh and hey…you shouldn't wear the cowl all the time." She grinned and winked at Raven. "You're covering a beautiful face with it." those were her final words as she melted back into the crowd and started running again.

Raven stood there in slight shock as the girl ran off, but she didn't persist further as her two comrades appeared at the front of the alley way to see her holding the wallet, causing Beast Boy to change back and rush to get the wallet from the hooded girl. He snatched it quickly and started kissing the leather carrier as Cyborg walked over to her.

"So where did she go?" he questioned as Beast Boy stopped what he was doing to look over at Raven to notice a small blush on her face, causing the little green boy to grin.

"She…gave the wallet back once I caught up to her. The money and his expired coupons were still in it along with his access card to the tower." Raven replied as she tugged at her cowl.

"Hey Rae, why are you blushing~?" Beast Boy quipped as he leaned closer to her face, earning a scowl from their cloaked ally as a loud slap could be heard a few blocks over as Beast Boy cried out in pain.

 _The day of storming the tower…more night time really…_

Nightingale spent the rest of her day preparing herself for her plan to go under way, even making sure her arrows and knife were safe to use, since she was trying not to be lethal when she was storming the tower, though she knew there was going to be a fight in general since she was technically breaking into the place. She looked at herself in the mirror as she placed her mask on, seeing her eyes staring back at her again as she pulled her gloves down on her hands as she reviewed her notes, making sure to note how the Titans would engage her in battle, though Robin was the same as from three years ago, though his speed had slightly improved along with the ferocity of his attacks. She hefted her bow and quiver on her back as she checked over her uniform, grabbing her utility belt from the bed and adding her knife as a final touch before she opened her window to look over the harbor and to see the tower looming before her on an island, waiting to be disturbed. She jumped down and reached for a nearby building's ledge as she grabbed on in time to pull herself up, spotting a small dinghy near the pier she was on the day before as she soon scaled down the building with a thick line of wire to reach the street below.

She moved quickly on the shadows as she tried to stay out of the street lights, feeling excited as she got closer to the small boat as she soon reached the sandy beach before her. She quietly untied the rope keeping the boat there as she started to push it further into the shallows as she boarded quickly, trying not to get her tights wet as she soon started to row towards the small island, wondering what kind of security she would be dealing with as she rowed a bit faster, getting more excited to be closer to the tower. She soon felt the bow hit the sand of the small island, causing her to leap out quickly, but she had to stay quiet enough for her to sneak around the building to the door where the key card would be used. It wasn't a very long walk, but the closer she got to the doors the more anxious she felt about what would happen. The pad was close to the door as she raised her hand shakingly towards it as she slid the card through it, the red dot turning green as she saw the doors open before her as she stepped through the threshold of their base, but the quiet she felt over her soon changed as she heard a loud alarm go off warning of an intruder.

"Shit." She muttered, covering her ears as she started to run towards the elevator, though when she got there the doors would not budge, causing her to frown knowing that the security had locked down the doors. She could even bet that all the titans were awake now, though only Starfire was really asleep while Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a racing game when the alarm interrupted their game session and Raven was interrupted from her meditation. Robin himself was investigating the arrow from their battle with the H.I.V.E Five as the siren interrupted his train of thought as a computer screen dropped in front of him, revealing a figure running up the stairs to get to the top of the tower and seemed to be heading towards their rooms. He frowned slight, knowing that he and Cyborg would have to talk about the security at the front door as he soon started to rush out of the room to chase after the figure. Nightingale soon passed by a few doors, wondering where they lead as soon as the third door soon opened to reveal Starfire looking out of her room out of curiosity as her green eyes landed on hers.

"You are not one of my friends." She frowned slightly, her eyes glowing green as she moved into the hallway as her hands started to glow as well as she started to shoot bolts of green energy at her. "I feel as if you should leave."

Nightingale dodged the few bolts that she threw at her as she grinned at her. "Sorry about that, but I can't leave right now. I'm not done here yet." Her azure eyes steeled over a bit as she reached into her utility belt and pulled out a purple ball as she threw it to the ground, as a fog of purple filled the hall. She head the alien girl cough as she started blasting her energy bolts everywhere as Nightingale snuck up behind her, grabbing her knife as she turned to have the butt of the knife hit her head, but only enough to knock her out for a bit as she continued on, only to head another door open. "For fuck sakes do I have to knock another person out?"

The smoke cleared to reveal Raven had left her room, her violet glaring down at Nightingale from further down the hall giving her a bit of distance from each other. She frowned lightly as she put her knife away and noticed that she was looking at Starfire as well. "Don't worry about your friend, she's just only knocked out with a knock to the head, she'll wake up in a bit." She soon noticed that Raven's eyes were glowing white as her magic manifested in her hands creating a black aura around them. "Look if you just let me through doll I won't hurt you I just need to spea to…?!"

"Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!" those three words left Raven's mouth as two black tendrils wrapped around Nightingale's legs as she tried to dodge, causing her to growl in frustration as she reached into her utility belt again, only to be stopped just before she could reach the pouch she was going for by another tendril as she glared at the Titan before her.

"You know what I thought you were cute, but now you just made me mad!" She quickly moved her other hand before Raven could speak her mantra again as she grabbed a grey ball out of her belt and threw it at the cloaked figure, only for it to go over her head and land in front of the two titans, Beast Boy and Cyborg, as they were running down the hall, only to explode and cover them in a grey and sticky substance that glued them to the walls. She yelled in frustration as she grabbed another one from her belt again and tossing it, making the ball hits its mark again by hitting her in the chest and expanding over her to cover her mouth and hands. The tendrils disappeared as she looked around, wondering if there was a way around them to the common area to wait for Robin when she heard the familiar sound of steel toed boots running towards her. She turned quickly and removed her bow from her chest, slightly sad she hadn't even pulled and arrow from it as she blocked his staff as he came down on her. She struggled a bit as she tried to push him back, glad that she was turned away from the light as so he could not see her face at the moment.

"What are you doing here?!" he cried out at her in anger as he applied more pressure to her bow with his staff before raising it again to attack. She winced lightly as she felt the bow shake from the abuse it was taking from the metal of his staff. "Did Slade send you here?!"

"Slade…?" she blinked slowly as she pushed him back with her bow as she put it over her shoulder again, not wanting the weapon to be damaged anymore. "I don't know who that is, but I was looking for you Robin." He seemed to tense more at the mention of his name though he noticed a familiarity in her voice that he could not place. "Now if you could just calm down and…" she soon noticed he glanced down to see that Starfire was knocked out, though she was stirring awake now as she could guess he was glaring at her from under his mask as he charged again. She sighed lightly as she got into a crouched stance as she pulled out her kukri from its sheath as she flipped the knife to were the bend in the blade would block his staff as she held her ground. "This is not how you treat old friends Dicky."

He soon noticed that he had pushed her into the light to see her face, as memories of Nightingale flooded his head, noticing that the ghost herself was starting straight back at him with her azure eyes glowing brightly. She still looked the same in the face, her thin smile and black hair were the same, but it wasn't possible…they had held a funeral for her and there was a body in the casket…he soon backed up as she stood up straight, a small smile appearing on her face as she started to put her blade away.

"I know you probably are wondering how I'm alive Dicky and…um well I really don't know how to explain it really, but I'm glad to see you a…" she felt a sharp pain hit her in the back as she cried out in pain as she fell to the floor, slamming her head into the hard floor, causing her forehead to cut slightly across a lose tile. Her vision blurred as she felt herself slip into unconsciousness, wondering what the hell hit her in the back to hurt that much. Robin looked down at Nightingale's unmoving body, noticing she was still breathing as he looked over at Starfire, her eyes turning back from glowing to their normal emerald green color as she looked up at him.

"I did good yes?" she asked curiously, but he couldn't answer her as she reached down to pick up the ghost's weapon, a kukri that his friend used to carry, making this person on the ground to be the real Nightingale…or someone that robbed her grave and made herself look like his old friend. He looked up again to noticed that Starfire was helping Raven get free from the grey substance as Beast Boy and Cyborg were just slipping out of their own mess as the large half robot moved towards their leader.

"Robin what do you want us to do with her?" he bent down to look at the girl, noticing the cut as the blood had smudged onto the floor as he looked over at the caped hero.

"Take her down to the interrogation room, have Beast Boy take a cot down there so you can put her somewhere. Also cuff her to the wall if you can, I want to question our intruder." He saw Cyborg nod as he picked her up from the floor. "Also put a bandage on her head please."

The two walked away as the other Titans wondered what this girl was to Robin, thought they were slightly curious on how they knew each other. Robin watched as Raven helped Starfire to the infirmary to get her head looked at while he stood there in the hall, staring down at the knife in his hand as he wondered why a ghost from the past wanted to haunt him now.

* * *

 **HOLY CHEEZITS. That was a long chapter. It came out to 13 pages, though the song kinda helped with that, but anyways hey you made it to the bottom of the page! Meaning you read the whole thing! Sorry there was not a lot of action this time, kinda trying to get better at it personally, but it is trial and error. Nightingale is knocked out and gonna be questioned next chapter so I hope you guys enjoy that one.**

 **Also her and Raven's relationship is going to be slow, reason being I know Raven would still be wary of her after attacking them in their own home and second she would not throw herself at someone she barely knows. I like doing it slow personally, because it builds a better bond between the two of them as the story goes on. I am glad to know that you guys are enjoying this. I know I might be a bit late on when I said I would publish this, but again I have two other fanfics to deal with, though Into the Unknown is going to have a scary long chapter because a lot of information is being put out. If you are a fan of Invader Zim I say check it out and leave a review to tell me what you think. Also I wonder what Nightingale will think about being in an interrogation room huh? You'll have to find out when I post the next chapter hehe no plot revealing points for you hahahahahahaha!**

 **Anyways please review, favorite and tell me what you think, even PM me if possible so you can ask all your wonderful questions or even leave a review on what you thought about this chapter.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Hey guys it's me again with Chapter Two of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and also to tell you some fun news is that in some chapters I will be including songs because you know it's fun to do so and it ADDS A MOOD. I don't know why that last part was in all caps, but I just wanted to inform you guys about this and so that you know there will be music incorporated in this since you know it is named the way it is for a reason. I enjoy writing this fanfic, though there is only the Prologue and these two chapters I still enjoy it like my other ones. Also music helps me a lot to focus on the mood and feel of how the chapter is going to go, though it's usually random bands that pop up on my lists or I sincerely have a song for the chapter.**

 **Anyways we last left off with our heroine Nightingale infiltrating the Titans Tower and being knocked out onto the floor by one of Starfire's energy bolts and was slightly bleeding on the floor from a cut on her head and was taken to an interrogation room in the tower so Robin could ask her questions on if she really is who she says she is. (Which she is.) Though now she might have to convince the other team members that she isn't a criminal…which might take a while. For Robin it might be a little uncomfortable to have a friend that he thought was dead come back to life, but who isn't weirded out by that? Because I am. Jeez I would freak out if someone I knew faked their death and well it would just be a weird problem for me.**

 **Also no song for this chapter, just wanted to tell you so you guys wouldn't want to worry about it. This chapter is partly serious and might have a small amount of humor, just a small pile though. Don't want to ruin the serious mood for now, though dealing with having Nightingale around would be a fun experience, getting comfortable with people you were not really meaning to fight and well ending up knocking one out and the others in a grey sticky substance that might ruin clothes. Yeah…she really didn't mean it personally, it was supposed to be an in and out job to just talk to Robin and she really didn't plan for the security system to pick her up that fast.**

 **No new thing in my life right now, still waiting for a call back from a job that I had an interview at and just being bored on occasion because it's just kinda boring not really being able to do much other than just cleaning and making sure everything looks presentable if I ever have visitors over, but you know that doesn't happen. Also my second niece's birthday is next month and her mother and I are not on good terms to say the least, though we never really have been ever since we were kids, but I really can't fix that now since she doesn't want to stop being petty about small shit in the first place. …Sorry she just kinda is pissing me off at the moment.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I will never own them and I do not plan on trying to do that in the first place. I only own my character Nightingale and her origins and I guess the plot of this story.**

 **Anyways enjoy this chapter guys.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Interrogations and Old Memories**

 _Two days later…_

It had been exactly two days since the tower was infiltrated…two days since most of the titans were subdued by one person who was claiming to be someone who died three years ago…and now since the incident the security measures were updated and the cards, which they found Beast Boy's lost access card in her possession when they removed her weapons for examination were replaced with retina scanners and voice activation codes for the front entrance that were made specifically for each titan to remember for the time being until another fool proof method could keep their enemies out. Of course their guest was moved to the interrogation room near the basement was the best place at the moment as Cyborg was processing the files that Robin had brought to the crime lab to be examined with the photos of this Nightingale to the one that was found dead at the foot of Wayne Enterprises all those years ago, of course each titan worried about their fearless leader over how he was slightly shook up over this intruder, though he never really talked about his past with this "Nightingale" person. They wanted answers from the man himself, but their guest would have to do at the moment as they were preparing to watch from the monitor room while Raven and Robin were going to see what answers they could get out of her…yet she had to wake up first.

She had been unconscious since Starfire hit her with an energy bolt to the back, though her costume was not damaged in the process which made them all slightly curious about what the material was that her uniform was made from, but that was something for another day. Robin and Raven watched from behind the one way glass as they observed her right arm twitch slightly before ceasing as her chest rose slowly with every breath she took as a bandage on her head looked as if it needed to be replaced again, though the wound was closed up it still bled through the stitches on occasion. The cot she was lying on was sturdy enough, but it creaked over the speakers when she even moved in the slightest since yesterday, meaning that she might be waking up soon. They both watched carefully as Raven glanced over at Robin, wondering what he was thinking about as he watched their guest, though she guess he was wondering if she was telling the truth or even if she was the real person, if so then why did she fake her death. She glanced back at the girl and started to notice her body was moving more, causing her cuff on the left wrist to shake and pull against the one hooked to the handle on the wall as it rattled more.

It was a small scare seeing the girl bolt upright so quickly, her panting breaths could be heard over the microphone that was in the room as she looked around the room in a panic, her azure eyes held a small hint of fear in them as she held her head in her hands, her body shaking slightly as she tried to calm herself down…but for what reason? As Raven focused on her eyes she noticed they were the same as the guitarist who stole Beast Boy's access card, as a small blush appeared on her face for a split second at the thought seeing that girl flash a smile at her as she escaped after knocking her cowl off to reveal her face, though if she had stopped her the events from last night wouldn't have conspired. She watched as Robin grabbed a copy of the files he had given to Cyborg to be analyzed with security photos to match the girl and Nightingale autopsy photos and even an early picture found in the papers of her first appearance with a clear view of her face, though she was a younger in the pictures he made sure Cyborg aged her face to see if it would match. He soon walked out of the booth to have Raven follow behind, but he stopped her.

"Raven I need you to monitor her from the booth; she might not want to talk if we both are in the room." He spoke calmly, though she couldn't really tell if he was anxious about the situation or he was just being his normal self. She nodded lightly as the door closed as she heard his muffled footsteps go to the entrance to the interrogation room as the door could be heard creaking open from the microphone into the speakers in the booth. She watched closely as Robin walked over to girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump out of the surprise of a sudden touch before a wide smile appeared on her face as he used a small key to unlock the other cuff from the handle as he slapped it onto her other wrist as he put her arms behind her back as he walked her to the table and sat her down into a chair while he walked over to the one across from her as he opened up the file and scattered the papers across the table.

 _Inside the interrogation room_

Even though she was still slightly shaken from her sudden awakening from a…she shook her head as she tried to ignore the nagging thoughts over her nightmare she had to focus on the task at hand. This was a slight miscalculation on her part, though she personally wanted another chance and to…meet with all of them on a friendlier time it seemed she was stuck here for now as Robin stared at her from across the table as he sat down before scattering the papers from the folder he was carrying onto the table. She looked over them as her head winced slightly, remembering she was injured before she fell unconscious…what two days ago? She had to guess since she was able to glance at the time on the clock above the door before Robin came in to notice one of those little date trackers was under it, meaning she had been dealing with her own personal hell in her head while she was being watched. She concentrated back on the papers and pictures before her and she recognized them after skimming over a few paragraphs, though she was slightly surprised and made her wonder how Robin even got his hands on her file on her death. Only Batman and Commissioner Gordon along with herself had original files while the copy only existed in Gotham's own archive building, though from the looks of the papers they seemed to be the real thing…meaning that he had to of taken them from the Bats himself while he was still living in Gotham.

She looked over at the pictures and noticed that her profile picture on the top right corner was still attached to the paper via paper clip as a large stamp mark saying deceased had been slammed diagonally across it, covering her half smile towards the camera that had taken the photo. The other pictures however were from the coroner reports as she glanced over them herself, noting that the girl that was on the table wasn't her…just a young girl around her age that died from an overdose that Batman used as a cover while he hid her away for her foolish error and arrogance she carried when she fought the Joker…and the reason she almost died from her mistakes. She frowned lightly as she focused more on the girl's face; they almost looked nothing like each other if you stared at the picture long enough. She sighed lightly and looked up at Robin with a slightly lazy expression on her face.

"Look Boy Blunder I don't know how you got ahold of this folder, though I'm guessing you stole it from Bats after my supposed death, but in all honesty you know it's me." She heard no protest from him as he stared back at her with his usually blank face, no expression what so ever. "I would have told you I was alive sooner but I…" she looked down at her lap as she felt an uneasy feeling wash over her…regret? Of course she was regretting not telling him that she was alive, though she tried multiple times to do so, Batman always stopped her and somehow convinced her it was the right thing to do. The feeling rolled through her again as she lifted her head, her lazy expression had changed to reveal her true feelings, her azure eyes clouded with regret and a second emotion that couldn't be identified as Robin watched her carefully. She might have been telling the truth, but he was there at the funeral they had for her, it even was an open casket with her in full costume as they buried her six feet under.

"You keep saying you're her, but I don't believe you." He frowned at her and he clasped his hands together. "I watched her fall off the side of Wayne Enterprises main office in Gotham and they found her corpse almost smashed to pieces on the sidewalk and it was examined by the coroner, who mind you is a respected man in Gotham, would even lie to the police about her death. She was maimed to almost pieces once they found her and you're telling me that you're her!" he slammed his fist against the table; she didn't flinch as she stared up at him to see him gritting his teeth in anger. "We buried her with dignity and you come here slandering her name! She was a respected member among the heroes and you're using it as if you are entitled to use her name and you decided to waltz into my tower to see if you can get some leeway over her former partner and teammate by pretending she is alive."

"Stop right there." She said as her voice came out in a low growl as she glared at him as her azure eyes steeled over. "Don't tell me what I already know! I know I fell off that goddamn building and that Bats covered it up so he could punish me over the sins I committed that day! My cockiness…my arrogance…don't you think I went through hell enough that night?! No the two years of therapy and rehab were worse than what the Joker did to me that night, those were hell on me because I had no one, but myself to blame for my mistake!"

She struggled in her cuffs as she wanted to show him what the therapy was needed for as she stood up abruptly; trying the whole time before she finally lifted up her arms under her legs to be able to slam them on the table in a fluid motion as she struggled to try and pull down her left sleeve revealing a long scar across her arm as she tried to move her fingers slowly as they shook while she did it. "I had extensive nerve damage from that fucking slice I earned from my mistake and when he ran me through I had to also deal with damage to my spinal column and my nerves there as well. I had too much time on my hands…they let me leave with an attendant to watch my own funeral from a fucking wheel chair…I…" she sat back down and held her head in her hands. "I know you don't believe me…I know you're just waiting for me to spill my guts and tell you that I'm a fake, but I am not." She looked at him with sincerity as she watched him place his fingers near his left ear as he stood up and start to leave the room.

"This interrogation session is over; I will be back tomorrow to see what else you can give us." He glanced back at her. "Don't worry someone will be down here with some food for you, but don't expect much."

"Robin don't you dare leave me here, we aren't done yet!" she stood up abruptly as she was going to run for him as she felt something wrap around her legs, seeing black tendrils holding her in place as he left causing them to melt away. She held her head down as she stared at the other pictures in the file as her eyes landed on a picture covered by the folder. She lifted it up to reveal a photo that was taken on a disposable camera, though it was slightly blurry she could make out who was in it. She was present and smiling widely and carefree as she pulled Robin closer for the photo, only to have it come out in a blur because he was trying to move away. She looked away from the photo, not wanting the memories to flood her mind as she turned away from the table and started to walk over to the cot she was give. She sat down slowly as she held her head in her hands, feeling her body weigh down on her as she went over the possibilities and problems she would have to go through to get him to believe her. She sighed lightly as she glanced over at the one way glass as she spoke. "I know you're still watching me…and I want to be alone Raven."

She knew she wasn't going to get a reply as she leaned herself back against the wall as she closed her eyes, wondering why he had to leave in the first place as she felt herself feel heavy with sleep. She really didn't want to sleep in the first place…but what could she do, read over the reports and deal with her memories…or fall into a deep slumber until someone woke her up. She mulled around with the two ideas as she felt her eyes start to feel heavier before she closed them as she was being dragged into the static of her own mind.

 _Elsewhere in the Tower's crime lab_

Robin had arrived on the floor where the crime lab was stationed as he tried to shake off the interrogation; she almost got him near the end of her rant about her injuries, but Cyborg called him to the lab to go over his findings on the Nightingale in the interrogation room, though he made Raven stay and monitor her until she was to get food, though he knew that as long as she was there they would have to rotate on who watches her. He waited as the lab doors slid open as he stepped through as he heard machines and computers whirling in his ears as he passed by the tables covered in microscopes and other things necessary for solving even the most impossible crimes, but he wasn't needing any of those. He was more focused on what information Cyborg had on her as he walked up to him as he was still typing on the computer in the lab before turning around to look at Robin.

"Took you long enough to show up, I know I interrupted your interrogation, but you had to see this information yourself on the girl downstairs." He moved slightly out of the way so Robin could see the screen as he typed a few words to pull the files up. "I compared the picture of your friend and the autopsy photos of her face and tried to find any discrepancy between them…it didn't take too long for the machine to figure out that they don't match." On the screen the pictures from the file popped up as circles appeared all over their faces as it soon slashed both pictures with a large 'X' before he continued. "Now if we compare Nightingale to the girl we get better results and surprisingly I didn't really have to age her at all." The girl's picture from the security camera popped up as it started to match it against the original picture of Nightingale only to hear a proud ding as a 95% match appeared on the screen. "I even ran the prints that were on file and they match as well."

"That's not possible, run it again." Robin replied in annoyance, wondering if the machine was wrong, though a small part of him accepted that it might be her…just maybe.

"I did and hell I even triple checked just to be sure and it came up with the same results." Cyborg turned the chair around to face Robin, his face holding a more serious tone than his usual demeanor. "There is no doubt that the girl downstairs is the same person that supposedly died three years ago. She wasn't lying to you; her scar matches the descriptions from your own account and even Batman's report as well."

Robin frowned lightly as he leaned against a counter near the computer, feeling that small part of him be a bit relieved that she was alive, but why? Why did she even fake her own death in the first place…? He thought back to her words from the interrogation as he noted her face held hurt among the regret she had created for herself as she spoke, she was telling the truth about trying to contact him after she was pronounced dead, but it seemed as if Batman was getting…he curled his hands into a fist at the thought of his former mentor stopping her, but it was in the past…she was here now right? He sighed lightly and ran his hand through his hair as he started to walk out of the room. "Keep her under surveillance and rotate each titan around to watch her and make sure she is fed."

"Even though she is her, you're not letting her go?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow in surprise at the red and green crusader. "Why not let her out of the cuffs first off and then let her be a bit more comfortable in that room before throwing the book at her for not telling you she lived…though I wonder, how did she even survive that fall anyways?" Both seemed to be swallowed into silence as they were slightly curious about the answer she would give to them.

 _Back at the interrogation room a few hours later…_

Nightingale couldn't guess how long she was asleep, but when she felt someone undo her cuffs she awoke quickly to see a surprised Raven holding her cuffs in one hand with the tiny key in the other hand. Her cowl was still on covering her expression, but her eyes read the surprise that must have been on her face as she tried to compose herself as she moved towards the door as the guest noticed a decent plate of food, though she was slightly depressed that it was only two slices of cheese pizza and a glass of water, but she guessed they couldn't really give her anything she could stab anyone with. She sighed lightly as she got up to the table to eat reaching for the chair with her left arm, feeling a familiar twitch of her nerves acting up as she couldn't get a grip on the chair, causing her to growl lightly as she kept trying until she was able to actually get a grip to pull it out. Her nerves were better, but she still had to deal with the problem of her arm and fingers not wanting to cooperate, even after three years it was still a pain. She sat down and stared down at the food before she picked one slice and started to eat slowly, her eyes lingered at the one way glass, wondering if Raven was still watching…her face was so close to hers…she smelled lavender…she blinked slightly as the cheese started to stretch and tear from the dough. She put the pizza down and pushed her food away as she placed her head on the table and groaned slightly, she paid attention to how she smelled...fuck she even pulled her cowl down to see her face when she got the card as a distraction she probably even knew it was her…she sighed lightly and grabbed the plate of food and the glass of water as she tipped the table over as a loud thud could be heard as she hid in embarrassment behind it…wonderful first impressions right?

Raven watched as she knocked the table on its side and raised an eyebrow at what she was doing before she noticed that the girl was hiding…privacy reasons maybe? She sighed lightly as she picked up her book she had taken from her room as Nightingale was asleep, but she couldn't help but glance up every few seconds to make sure that she was still there. She really had nowhere else to go, but with how fast she took down each titan with ease…worried her along with everyone else, though Beast Boy wanted a rematch and that wouldn't even be fair since he was able to change into animals and would set her at a disadvantage. Raven sighed lightly and placed the book down, she couldn't concentrate while she was watching this girl. She was slightly glad to have Starfire take her place in the booth as she heard the door open, revealing said orange skinned friend, causing her to stand up and grab her book to walk out, not even saying a word to her fellow titan as she left. Starfire was slightly curious at why her comrade was quieter than usual as she closed the door behind her to see the table turned on its side, causing her to become even more curious. She watched for a moment as she wondered what the girl was doing, she was maybe a little angry about her after yesterday, but then again this could even turn out to be a new friend.

She left the booth as soon as she came to walk slowly towards the door to the interrogation room as she opened the door slowly, as she walked in, noticing that the girl was eating slowly and was still on her first piece of pizza and almost looked as if she was thinking hard on something. She floated slowly to the other side of the table and looked at her from a closer proximity before she spoke.

"Is this another Earth custom…?" she asked curiously causing the girl to look up and jump slightly as she finally noticed her presence, causing her food to go flying as the water slipped from her hand as well. She coughed as she hit her fist against her chest trying to clear her throat before looking up at Starfire.

"Um…I personally don't know what you mean…when did you get in here?" Nightingale was slightly curious about why she even came into the room, but it wasn't something she felt like she should ask. She sighed lightly and looked at her food, slightly upset that it had fallen on the floor as she stood up and placed the table back on its legs as she noticed the green eyed girl was watching her closely. "Can you please stop staring, it's…awkward…"

Starfire blinked lightly as she thought for a moment before she responded. "I believe Robin informed all of us to keep an eye on you is what he said."

"What does he think I'm gonna break out? I don't have my belt first off and most of my tools are on it so that is shot. I can't fight my way out and you guys must have updated your security system and even if I was able to even get to the front door this place would be on lock down." She sighed and leaned against a wall that was furthest away from her new companion, though it was awkward as silence soon fell over the two. Nightingale slightly guessed that she didn't understand English very well and wondered how she even learned it in the first place, but soon her mind started to wander away from her other occupant, but soon the alien girl snapped her to attention again.

"You are not hungry?" she noticed she was pointing to the food that had landed on the floor, causing a low sigh to escape from her throat.

"I can't really eat food that's touched the floor, not like I can have any more to begin wi…" she noticed that Starfire had left the room, but soon shot back in holding another plate of pizza and even some type of soda. She took it gingerly from her hands she saw her smiling at her, causing a small smile to appear on her own face as she sat down at the table, waving Starfire to come over. She wasn't really sure it was smart to make a friend of someone who has her technically under house arrest, but it was nice to just talk calmly with someone for once, even if they didn't understand English very well.

 _Hours later_

Starfire had to switch with Beast Boy after a few hours so she could sleep, but she was slightly happy that she made a new friend with this Nightingale person, though she was slightly worried about what she might do now that Beast Boy was in charge of watching her as he walked through the door to the booth and watched her for a while, though she didn't really do much to be honest, aside from whistling the same tune over and over again, which started to slightly get on his nerves. He lost a rock, paper, scissors match to Cyborg and already regretted even taking his place. This girl was boring, but Starfire seemed to get along with her. He soon decided to go into the room and maybe talk and as he did Nightingale raised her eyebrow slightly at him, wondering how tall he was before a small smile appeared on her face, she was gonna have a little fun with this kid. She stayed silent for a few moments as he watched her from the only chair in the room as she started to whistle again before she spoke.

"What's up shorty?" she quipped at him, earning a slightly annoyed look from the green boy…wait did he have pointed ears. She tried to hold back her laughter as he huffed at her before walking up to her for her comment; though he was short it was a touchy thing to bring up. "You know thanks to your access card I was able to get in so I should thank you."

"What's so funny huh?" he asked seriously as he crossed his arms to look up at her. "You're the one who's stuck in this room with nowhere to go and don't thank me, you still got caught."

"The reason I'm laughing half pint is that you remind me of a goblin from _Dungeons & Dragons_, now that brings back memories." She snickered at him, noticing he was getting angrier by how his face was turning a darker green…or maybe he was embarrassed. "Says the green boy who let someone even get ahold of his wallet in the first place."

"Hey I am not a goblin! I am a norma…I mean I am a teen titan so you need to show me respect." He replied back as if it was a challenge…which it was to her, she couldn't pass it up.

"Alright little man I'll raise you to a bet. If you can drop me on my ass you'll get your dignity back, but if I win you have to deal with me calling you shorty for the rest of my stay here."

"You're on!" he started to walk to the door, causing her to be slightly confused. "Come on were doing this outside."

"Won't you get in trouble shorty?" she noticed his shrug as she sighed and followed him out the door and into a small hallway, trying to be compliant as she looked around, since this was her only chance to be outside of the room. They passed through a sort of basement that was filled with random boxes of anything possible, though she really couldn't check since she had to stay close to Beast Boy. She started to feel regret once they reached the top of the stairs to the Lobby area she had walked through only two days before to see the doors slide open to reveal the sun setting along the ocean, creating a brilliant coloring from dark to light across the sky as she sea air ran through her hair as she took a deep breath.

 _Observation room a few moments later…_

Cyborg had been sitting on the couch playing a random racing game as he tried to kill time before he had to watch the girl next, though he was glad that Beast Boy lost so he could have more time trying to rack up a new high score above his little green friend's current one. He heard someone rush into the room as he turned around to see Robin rush forward to the TV and change it to the interrogation room's camera, Cy was about to protest until he noticed that Beast Boy and Nightingale had left the room only moments earlier. He slapped his hand against his face as he got up from the couch.

"I knew I had a bad feeling if Beast Boy watched her…" he started to walk down to the elevator as Robin glared at the screen before following his large comrade. He pressed his titan communicator to inform the girls of her supposed escape, but he was wondering what they were talking about in the first place that set Beast Boy off. Starfire and Raven soon followed the two out to the lobby to see what those two were up to when the two hooligans were on the sandy beach, one in a relaxed stance while the other being Beast Boy was in what seemed to be an exaggerated stance.

"Alright little green you know how this goes, first one to go down is the loser so…" she saw him rush forward, already raring to go as she slowly slide stepped out of his way, watching his stunned face before he went to strike again. "Also you can't change forms either, not a fair fi-." She grabbed his fist as it almost hit her square in the nose as she frowned slightly. "That was kinda cheap kid…" she sighed and moved into a somewhat lazy stance, already getting bored with the challenge at hand, though he was already huffing and puffing as he charged again. She dodged again and huffed lightly as she tried to take it a bit more seriously as she noticed the other titans were watching, though Cyborg was cheering for Beast Boy as the others were watching in silence, though she did get a wave from Starfire. Robin however was watching the battle, knowing that it was in a higher favor for Nightingale to win in the first place, even if she seemed a bit lazy in her own movements…yet that was her strategy. She moved lazily around the sand as she started to seemingly taunt Beast Boy with every dodge and side step, but it was just calculating how much stamina and energy he had in every attack just to see what he would do next. She finally blocked one of his attacks with her bad arm, causing her to wince slightly as she felt the nerves going haywire as she tried to ignore it as she switched her stance to her off hand.

Robin raised an eye at this, wondering why she would switch when he reminded himself of what she said. Her nerves in her left arm must have went crazy after that last punch being able to land, but it seemed Beast Boy noticed as well as he smiled a bit cheekily at her.

"What's wrong, can't take a punch?" he commented in a snarky tone as if he was confident in his ability, but she slightly glared at him. He reminded her of her former self, too cocky and arrogant for her own good, he was sloppier that she was, but she didn't want to focus on the past as his fist skimmed across her left cheek and landed on her shoulder, causing her nerves again to go into over drive as she bit her lip.

She frowned lightly, not really wanting to wail on him in the slightest, but it was unavoidable at the moment. She curled her hand into a tight fist she felt her left hand curled slightly as well. She wasted no time in moving quickly as she noticed Beast Boy was distracted trying to boast about his greatness…pfft what greatness. Her fist landed its mark by hitting him square in the chest as he gasped sharply at the sudden attack as he stumbled back a bit and almost falling over…almost. She stared at him as she taunted him to come at her in which he did as she grabbed his fist with her left hand before aiming lower towards his abdomen. That knocked the wind out of him a bit faster as the other titans watched in utter silence at power behind her punch; though Robin wanted to intervene he knew it wouldn't be smart in the first place. It would damage both of their pride if someone stopped it…but there was still a chance that Nightingale or even Beast Boy would take it too far.

Nightingale didn't feel the slightest bit tired as she waited for Beast Boy to attack again, only to see him panting and trying to catch his breath, causing her to sigh and place her arms at her side. She really didn't want this to go any further than it already had, but she didn't want to push this kid to his limit. She turned towards the other Titans as she was about to tell them to take her back to the room, but she felt something slam into her side as she stumbled a bit before falling back fully at the loss of air in her lungs as a shiver shot up her spine when she hit the water, feeling her head hit something hard as she gasped under the shallow water and heard muffled voices coming towards her as her vision started to fuzz up and soon flooded with darkness…the last thing she remembered was a warm feeling overcome her.

The titans were in a small state of panic as Robin and the others quickly rushed closer to the fallen girl and even a shocked Beast Boy. He wasn't even trying to hit her that hard to knock her into the water…he wasn't paying attention to where she was in the first place before he rammed into her. Raven's hands glowed in their black aura has her eyes went white as she brought Nightingale up out of the shallows, noticing her hair was a mixture of salt water and blood leaking from somewhere on her head. Cyborg soon rushed forward and held his arms out as she was placed in his arms to see she was still breathing…though it was slightly shallow and had a bit of a gurgle to it. Everyone rushed back into the tower to assess the damage done this time to her, though they took her to the infirmary to be examined, though in truth it was another concussion and another slice in her head from a sharp rock from the shallow ocean. They waited for her to wake again, though Robin informed them she was not to be treated as a prisoner and more as an honored guest on his behalf, though they all nodded and agreed they were slightly confused at his sudden change of heart, but went along with it anyways…well almost everyone. Raven still felt uneasy about their new guest and felt as if Nightingale was hiding something, but it seems that would have to be solved at a later date since she was unconscious again.

 _Inside Nightingale's mind_

It was the same dream over and over again; more or less it was actually a nightmare that haunted her every time she slept. It was the night she fell from the tower…but this time she wasn't wounded on her abdomen…it was always the same place…her heart had been pierced by Joker's blade instead of her stomach as she felt the blade go deeper and deeper before it slipped through her back. His gaze made the fear build inside her mind as she tried to escape, knowing how it would end for her as he started laughing, causing her to cover her ears as it echoed through her mind. The Joker shifted slowly to different forms and soon multiplied to different sizes and shapes as they became shadow like. They one still holding her up by the blade still had his maddening grin as whispers rung through her head getting louder and louder.

' _Disgusting.'_

' _Such a disgrace to the family name…'_

' _Ugly stupid bitch…what person would ever want your company because of what you are.'_

' _Cursed Child why don't you just curl up and die? The world would celebrate over its victory.'_

' _No one will ever love you or even want to marry a monster like you.'_

' _Why. Don't. You. Just. DIE!'_

They soon started to move closer as the figure holding her up started to lower her to the ground and pull the blade out slowly, blood gurgling and popping at the back of her throat as she tried to scream…but her voice had died long ago. The figures moved closer as she curled up onto the ground trying to hide her face as she felt slashes appear across her back as more silent screams escaped from her throat as she went unheard as the figures brandished knives and other sharp weapons to tear her back up, as black feathers started to swirl around her as tears welled in her eyes as the blood started to ooze from her back and dribble to the floor of the building. She cried for help for anyone to save her from this hell…but no one ever came as she saw the feathers whirl around more as if they were trying to help her in some way…but they could only do so much. The figures kept going, even moving to her arms as she felt the blades slash her again as she cried more.

"Wake up Celine…W-wake up it j-just a nightmare…j-just another n-nightmare…" she kept muttering to herself, her voice hiccupping at every word she spoke as she kept trying to wake up. Her only salvation would be if she just woke up. She heard a voice among the crowd around her as it passed by her ear in a soft whisper. She tried to blink away the tears as she tried to lift her head higher so she could hear the voice again as it passed through her ears once again only louder.

' _Wake up.'_

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 **That is the end of chapter two and I am sorry that it seemed to end on a cliffhanger and that this chapter is a bit shorter than chapter one it's just I was on a bit of a deadline for this chapter and wanted to get it done so more people could read more into the characters. Also if characters are a bit out of character I apologize for that immensely so I really hope no one is mad.**

 **Yes she did get knocked unconscious again…but now you know what her nightmare was in the first place. Night…no Celine had a kinda rough life because of her family, but that will be explained one day in a future chapter so I don't want to spoil a lot right here and now so I hope you guys can be patient at on when I put up chapters. I enjoy writing for you guys it's just putting a deadline on myself makes me feel like I'm in school again lol. I really don't miss that very much to be honest. High school was fucking hell and not the best four years of my life honestly. I loved the teachers I was with and my small group of friends…well the short story is I just feel as if people shouldn't be told high school is the greatest time of their lives. It's just not.**

 **Anyways next chapter she's gonna wake up and we'll see how the Titans feel about their honorary guest at the tower. She might become permanent who knows and what will she tell batman in her report when she ever feels like giving that to him in the first place. Though right now I am rambling because it it's 11 at night for me so I better sign off.**

 **Please PM me or leave a review so I can see your wonderful opinions on how this story is going.**

 **Peace to you all my wondrous readers.**

 **Also one last thing, if anyone wants to draw Nightingale and want to show me please PM me about it and hell I would love to see it. I want to see what other people see her as.**

 **Again peace to all of you guys and next update will be in a week or two.**


	4. Chapter Three

**Howdy there wonderful readers it's great to see my story grow a bit and see a lot of people reading it. I am back with another chapter of The Nightingale's Song and it really got me thinking. What does Nightingale sound like to me? Like in my head who does she sound like if I could pick a voice from a show to explain how she sounds to me and I really wonder who she sounds like to you guys. Personally every time I think of a line for her or I'm reading over the chapter for a spelling error I always hear Ryuko from Kill La Kill for some reason and it's just for her voice personally and I feel as if it fits her somehow, if anyone else has a suggestion on how she sounds to you or how she speaks in your head while you read, well just PM me or leave a review and I would be glad to hear from you about your opinion on what she sounds like.**

 **You are probably wondering…WHY IS THIS LATE. Well I have been slightly busy for the past month and dealing with many things so yeah…I am not saying I forgot it's just a lot of things were distracting me from actually putting up the chapter up so I apologies, but still it's great that I was able to get this chapter up its just everything was boggling my mind and I might be working late at night if I get this job and my updates maybe slow, but I promise you I will get chapters out. I WILL. I AM…hopped up on caffeine right now and I totally am having fun cramping because of problems…feminine problems…if you did not know I am a girl. Shocker I know lol.**

 **Anyways for this chapter we are going to have our heroine wake up in the infirmary from her nightmare and she might be slightly confused at why she is there in the first place. She is also going to have to deal with the other titans, because remember she might have Robin back maybe as a friend and Starfire is a maybe, but the others will still have to be one over to show them that she is a trusted person. Which might be a problem for her in general because she isn't very good at making new friends in the first place, she got lucky with Robin. Another thing is I am reminding you that her romance with Raven is going to be slow, like if I had to say how slow it's the speed of a snail or slower.**

 **ALSO! Thank you to the person who said my writing was cool! As I replied to you I'm not used to people telling me that my writing is cool. More or less its people complaining that my writing style is weird or your style is too dark what is wrong with you? I got a lot of those comments and more from people in my high school, though my English teachers loved my writing and called it unique and on many occasions they asked me if I wanted to be a writer. My friends are great and look over my writings a lot and always ask me where I get the ideas…well here is the secret. I have weird day dreams and to be honest it's great when they happen and I usually have a pen and paper on me at all times when I have these daydreams because they are my inspiration or I literally start crying because I think of the saddest thing possible when I daydream…oh and music is also an inspiration as well for certain chapter names.**

 **Anyways I guess it's time to have that rant over with and remember PM me or leave a review telling me what you thing Nightingale sounds like. I want to see what everyone else thinks and also I am super proud of myself because I might be working as a cashier at Walmart probably over night shifts only…which is a huge leap because I am anti-social and can't handle much social interaction before I lose it, but I actually want to see if I can make it work. Besides I want a better car that what I have now…oh yeah I forgot to tell you guys I got another car, since my old one decided to shit out on me a couple months ago. It has a lot of miles on it, but I want a job so I can save for a better car with lower miles. ALSO! Some chapters maybe near a teen rating and some others might be a huge M rating so I will keep it in M because it's smarter in the long run.**

 **Okay guys you enjoy reading this and please review and follow the story to see about the next update.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans if I did we would have had a six season. I only own the plot and Nightingale along with her origin story.**

 **ENJOY.**

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 **Chapter Three: An Explanation is due**

It had been another two days since Nightingale was knocked out again and was moved to the infirmary to be monitored by Cyborg so that he could keep an eye on her vitals and other movements. She moved a lot in her sleep, sometimes the IV needle would move around in her arm causing the machines to screech and make god awful noises towards him as he fixed the IV and reset the machines only to have her move more and cause the machines to go off again. Robin would come in and check on her every two hours on the dot to see if she had woken up, only to receive the same answer as before. They city had been quiet for the time that she was there, but they still had to go on patrols every now and then, so they had to swap who was watching her, but Beast Boy seemed to be keeping his distance from the girl. Robin explained to him that it wasn't his fault, which was slightly true because Nightingale should have paid attention to her opponent, but it seemed as if he felt guilt for causing her to get hurt again. The other titans still were slightly worried about what her intentions were now that she was back in Robin's life, but that would have to wait until she had awoken…which would be about now as a matter of fact.

Her eyes flashed open wide as they scanned around the room, only to land on Cyborg who was trying to fix her IV again as the noise blared in her ears as she reached to cover them, gritting her teeth as the sound started to get louder and louder as she closed her eyes. "Take it out…" she noticed his hesitation and wondered why she wanted the IV out, as the noise started to get even louder to her as she snapped her eyes open. "I SAID TAKE IT OUT DAMN IT!" her normal azure eyes turned to steel as she gritted her teeth more, only to feel the needle be pulled out of her arm as a bandage was slapped on it to stop the bleeding. She looked up to see Cyborg slightly shaken by her raising her voice as he unplugged the IV machine from the wall as silence filled the infirmary as side from the heart monitor beeping slowly. She uncovered her ears as she looked at him apologetically. "Sorry I have…sensitive hearing and…some loud noises can cause me to snap. You're Cyborg right?"

He nodded as he reached two fingers up to his head as he started to speak, though he didn't seem curious about her sensitivity. "Yo Robin she's awake." He paused to listen for a second as he replied back. "Yeah just be careful I think the head injury might have caused her senses to go haywire or something." He listened again before looking at her as he lowered his fingers from his head. "He'll be here in an hour or two after he gets back from patrol, I'll be heading out to take his place so don't try to break anything in here." She nodded lightly at him, though she would probably leave the room and walk around if it was possible. "Also don't leave this room. If you take the heart monitor off I will know." Crap he knew she was planning on exploring; she sighed and nodded, not really wanting to speak at the moment as she heard him walk out of the room as the automatic door slid open and shut as the room fell silent again, leaving her to her thoughts…which was never a good thing.

 _'That nightmare…fuck it was worse than the last one…'_ she took in a sharp breath as she placed her head in her hand as she felt the bandaged wrapped around her forehead. The last thing she remembered was water and muffled voices before she blacked out as she gripped the sheet with her other hand. She should have been more careful than that, but no she still acted lazy and sloppy when she fought, this time she could have even lost her sight from getting slammed in the back of the head…but that wasn't what was making her angry, her nightmare was something that truly bothered her. They had started to slow after around year two, but she didn't understand why they were happening now of all times…she might have to call "him" to see if she could get answers on what was going on in her subconscious. She loosened her grip as she sighed lightly, trying to calm herself as she sat there patiently waited for Robin to come into the room as an hour ticked by. _'This isn't the time to beat myself up over some stupid mistake or even a damn nightmare for that matter…how long was I out anyways?'_ She looked around the room, wondering if there was some way that she could tell how long she had been out as an few minutes ticked by as she started to feel impatient over the fact that she had to wait, which was causing her to become antsy as she fidgeted with the sheets as she soon felt the urge to look around the tower, sure she had a blueprint at her apartment of the place, but she was curious about what it all looked like on the inside.

She placed her hand on her chest as she felt the monitor suckers were placed, wondering how they even put them on her as she reached her hand under her shirt to pull them off slowly, the fuck with waiting. She winced slightly as they were removed as she heard the monitor go off as she swiftly reached down to unplug it from the outlet as she heard silence fill the room. She slowly got up from the bed as she removed wobbled a bit as she stood, feeling the cold floor against her bare toes causing her to shiver lightly as she looked around for her boots as her eyes landed on them near a desk. She walked carefully as her legs wobbled the whole way before she ran out of things to grab, she stood slowly feeling her legs shake as she took each step, wondering how many more steps until she down right fell on her ass when she noticed the desk was getting closer.

A small smile appeared on her face as she noticed a rolling stool was near it as well, if she could reach that she could get her bearing a bit as she reached for it, only to have the thing roll away as she reached causing her to slowly fall and slammed into the floor as a harsh gasp escaped from her throat as she squeezed her left arm tightly feeling her nerves act as if they were on fire as she winced trying to get back up from the floor as she stood quickly, feeling her stomach lurch at the sudden swift movement as she moved slowly towards the stool, finally reacting it and sitting on the leather cushion as she rolled closer to her boots as she felt her body hit the edge of the desk gently. She reached down and started to slip her black socks on slowly as she thought of where to go as she ran over the blueprint in her mind as she finally laced up the boots before lightly tapping them against the floor as a force of habit. She sat for a few more moments before getting back on her feet to walk out of the room, the shakes and wobbles still in her steps, but they seemed to slowly melt away as she kept going until the door slid open when they sensed her getting closer as she looked down the hall to see that no one was around as she strolled over to the elevator and pressed the button to go up as she waited calmly for the elevator to ding, though that even didn't take long as the door slid open quickly, causing her to jump a bit as she hopped into the elevator before the door closed. She looked at the buttons, wondering why the tower had so many floors as she picked a random floor, something called the Ops room sounded like a fun place.

The elevator jerked lightly as it started to go up, causing her stomach to drop again as she waited patiently and listened to the dull tone of the music playing in the small space as the numbers above the door ticked up slowly before reaching the floor she had chosen as the machine dinged gently as it opened slowly to reveal a long corridor as two large sliding doors loomed in front of her. She carefully stepped out of the elevator and noticed the walls of the corridor seemed to be empty of pictures of any sorts, making her slightly curious about how long they had been a team as she walked closer to the large doors, feeling the air they created as they opened to reveal a large room with what seemed to be a kitchen and living room combination. She stepped through the thresh hold as she walked down the red carpet that adorned the floor as she moved further and further into the room, the walls seemed to be covered in some sort of paneling as she heard the walls let off a low hum, maybe some sort of power storage? She crept closer noticing the many computer panels were in front a semi-circle couch.

The floor outside the carpet was a grey color, as it separated the table area from the kitchen as she moved closer, walking around the couch as she grazed her fingers across the leather, it was worn…and probably held a lot of memories between them all. She smiled lightly trying to think of what they would have done as she continued until she paused at the view before her. She could see the whole bay of Jump City as she walked closer to the large windows to take in the peaceful scene…it was something she wasn't used to seeing if she was honest with herself, Gotham wasn't this peaceful on any occasion, though the rain was enjoyable for the most part, but it never had the sereneness that was before her as she watched a small boat float by with ease on the soft waves below. She reached up and felt the bandage on her head, wondering why she hadn't taken it off in the infirmary as she slowly started to unwrap it from her head, they wounds would have probably healed by now as she felt her forehead to have no small bumps along the area where the small gash was, so they must have used something else to seal it off after removing the stitches that had already been there. She reached around to the back of her head and winced again at feeling the stitches along her upper cranium; though it wasn't a long cut and her hair covered it up excellently. She lowered her hand as she turned to leave the room, though she was curious where a TV would be as she started walked back to the doors as her stomach lurched again, making her grab it in pain as she gasped softly feeling a loud gag soon come after it.

She leaned herself against the counter as she tried to calm her own stomach down from whatever was causing her body to reach so harshly to want to throw up as another wave of nausea rushed through her again as her head slightly ached as she ran over the symptoms in her head of what was happening to her that lead to the conclusion that she might have a slight concussion from her head injury from…she frowned slightly as she tried to think of how many days it had been since the last time she was awake, though she never really kept track of that anyways to begin with. She sighed lightly as she held her head against her hand as she tried to make the pain go away as she straightened herself again to leave the room as the doors slid open to reveal an empty hallway again as she tried to decide what to do as she strolled down, slightly leaning against the wall as she noticed three doors near her as she spotted a bathroom to the left of the middle door as another wave hit her, causing another gag to come from her mouth as she covered it as she tried to hold back whatever wanted to come out as she swallowed it, feeling the acidy taste leave her throat as she leaned against the wall a bit more as she slid down to the floor. This concussion was doing a number on her body at the moment as she tried to stand again, only to feel another wave over take her as she held her head in her hands.

 _'All the titans are gone at the moment right…?'_ she thought to herself as she remembered Robin was arriving back at the tower to talk to her…which he probably already got the warning from Cyborg that she already took the heart monitor off, so he probably was rushing over here. She sighed lightly as she closed her eyes trying to calm her body down in the process; it wouldn't be long until he got here right? She smiled lightly to herself as she waited in silence for a moment to hear a door slide open. She opened her eyes slightly to see a cloaked figure leaving the room to the middle as, noting that they had spotted her she smiled a bit more as she tried to seem innocent, though she did disobey by leaving the infirmary in the first place, so maybe pretending to be innocent might not be the smartest thing to do at the moment.

Raven had been enjoying a nice break from patrolling the city when her communicator vibrated loudly against her hip as she floated off the ground in her typical meditative pose as she opened her violet eyes, slightly annoyed that she was interrupted as she reached down and unclipped her communicator her hip as she waited for the person to talk.

 _'Raven, I need you to go look for Nightingale in the Tower, Cyborg said that the heart monitor had gone offline a little bit ago, I'm still getting back from patrols, so look around and see if you can spot her and if possible take her back to the infirmary, we haven't made sure that her head injury is any better or even if it's safe for her to be back on her feet again.'_ Robin's voice cracked over the speaker as she frowned a bit more, but she couldn't disobey her leader as she slowly lowered to the floor to leave her room and pull her cowl back over her head, though she wouldn't have to walk far to even find her in the first place as she stepped out to spot said escapee sitting on the floor and sending her an idiotic smile.

"Um…hey." Nightingale said calmly, as if it was normal to be crunched up on the floor as she raised her right hand up in a greeting towards the silent member of the titans, though she didn't get a reaction back. Raven sighed lightly as she walked over to Nightingale, holding her hand out to help her off the floor which she took gingerly, but their hands wouldn't be together for long as both girls felt a sudden shock run up through each other as the cloaked girl pulled her hand back quickly as she felt her emotions stir in her head as she tried to ignore them. Nightingale was dealing with a different problem as her body reacted as if it was wanting something…her mind slightly races as images flashed in her mind quickly as she shook them away, ignoring what she saw as she stood on her own using the wall as her support. "Sorry about that, probably sitting on the floor must have given me some sort of charge. I guess you were sent to find me…?"

Raven said nothing as she started to walk towards the elevator turning her head slightly to be sent as a signal to follow as she noticed the other hero in the hallway stood in her spot, not even wanting to budge as she rolled her eyes before turning around to walk back to her. "Robin wants you back in the infirmary."

"And what if I don't comply?" she responded back towards her, trying to challenge her, though she personally wasn't in any shape to even put up a fight at the magic user before her, but a part of her wanted to push her buttons a bit…just a bit wouldn't be bad? She noticed that she was sending her a glare as her violet eyes darkened as she could feel the anger resonate off her. She sighed lightly and frowned, knowing that she couldn't really win if she started a fight now. "Fine take me back then."

Raven turned around and smiled slightly as she started to walk back to the elevator again, hearing the soft sound of steeled toe boots behind her as she pressed the button down to have the doors open automatically, she stepped on through as she turned and waited for her to join her as she didn't wait long. Nightingale walked into the elevator leaning against the wall away from the floor buttons as the doors slid closed as Raven reached her hand towards the button with an upper case "I" next to it as the elevator jumped slightly as it started to move down. Silence filled the empty air as soft music played in the background as the floor numbers seemed to tick down slowly, Nightingale fidgeted nervously as she tried to calm her nerves as she tried to take her mind off the nausea again…though that wasn't the true reason she felt nervous. Something felt…familiar about Raven, of the few times she actually saw her she had an odd feeling that she had met her before or even her powers made that feeling appear, but that was impossible since what Batman gathered from her file she was somewhat of an enigma…an unknown entity to even the great detective himself, who couldn't even figure out where she came from.

"So…you and Robin were friends…?" she heard the monotone voice break through the silence as she lost her train of thought on the subject of the hooded girl and her origins as a small smile appeared on her face hearing her actually speak for once.

"I would personally say partners when he wasn't with…um you know I don't think he would want me to say his name, but yes we were friends." The nausea started to go away as she spoke, though a splitting headache started to form in her head as she spoke. "He is the same person he was back then when we patrolled together, though I was brasher than he was and I think he's a bit softer now."

She didn't hear anything else from her as only one more floor separated her from her old friend, though she was slightly glad that she didn't ask if they were more than just friends. Nightingale remembered when Babs would tease her about him, but only she really knew that she wasn't…how to put it…straight or into men…guys…you get my drift. She leaned against the cold metal of the elevator as she heard a slight ding as the doors opened to reveal Robin standing there, probably waiting for the elevator as he nodded at Raven and sent a slight glare at Nightingale, earning a slightly sheepish look from her.

"Thanks for finding her Raven, it was very much appreciated that you were able to find her in time." she only saw her nod at him as she noticed her glance over her shoulder, waiting for her to leave the elevator so she could go back to whatever she was doing before she found her. Nightingale sighed lightly and started to walk out of the small rectangular box as Robin backed up to give her space. She turned to thank Raven for her finding her, but the doors were already closing as she only saw part of her face and one eye as they closed shut. She turned to the only other person in the hallway with her as she tried to smile her way out of it. "You knew Cyborg wasn't lying about the heart monitor thing and you still left the infirmary to explore." Damn trying to get out of being in trouble by smiling didn't work…well it never did in the first place.

"Look I'm sorry Dicky I just…" she sighed lightly and scratched the back of her head. "I wanted to see the place without having a tour guide." It was more to the point she wanted to see the place as the real thing and not a blue print, but she couldn't tell him that. "I'm sorry that I left the room, but you know me, I'm too jittery to just stay in one place so I had to see how far I could get before getting caught."

He sighed lightly as he only accepted her halfhearted apology as he smiled lightly. "I know, but next time don't cause as much as a scene." He started to walk away and waved at her to follow. "Come on I have specific orders from Cyborg to check how you're feeling and check your wound to see if it's doing better." He heard her heavy steps as she groaned slightly, knowing that this had to be punishment enough as he lead her back to the examination room to see how everything was, though it all seemed to be healing perfectly fine, he also informed her that she had been out of it for two days, leaving her slightly annoyed that she would have to inform Bats why she had been on radio silence for the past couple of days, but it would be an almost easy fix, though she didn't know if she would be able to go back to her apartment any time soon as she swung her feet like an impatient child waiting for him to stop checking over her.

Soon after she was check out Robin started to take her on a small tour, showing her the rooms that she missed such as a gym, crime lab, and even the other rooms where the other titans slept or were usually occupied when they were off duty, even reshowing her the Ops room and going into a bit more detail on what they usually did there, which was a place to hang out or even observe what was going on in the city from the monitors. The pair started to walk to end of the hall to a flight of stairs as he started to walk up them slowly with Nightingale following right behind him, slightly worried as to where they were going next since there was nothing higher on the blueprints that she had. They reached the top to reveal a metal door with a long bar to push in as a way of opening it, Robin reached for it and as he opened it Nightingale felt a blast of cool air with a hint of salt wavering through it as they both walked through the opening to the top of the tower, revealing the stunning view from the ops room, only more of a broader spectrum could be seen as she spun slowly to see the whole town seemed to be surrounding the tower on its little island, whistling to herself as she leaned against the barrier stopping anyone from falling. She crossed her arms as she breathed in the fresh air around her as she watched a small boat pass by the tower, her mind flooded with memories of watching the ships from Gotham's harbor as she gathered information on certain villains whereabouts along with her competitors in big business were doing shady deals…what a wonderful life of an information broker right?

"So…I'm guessing you brought me to the roof for a reason?" she turned to face Robin, seeing he was standing in the center of the roof, watching her from afar as she sighed as she turned to lean her back against the small wall. "You know I'm the real thing, the real person, and yet you still seem hesitant to even be near me." She crossed her arms as she watched him stand there still as if he was studying her to see what she would do next or maybe he was thinking of what to say…it was hard to read his body language at the moment, maybe she was getting rusty at it. She watched closer, trying to see what he was planning as she noticed him reach for something on his waist as he started to move closer to her, her body twitched slightly as she felt herself move on autopilot as she reached for his hand to stop him from reaching for whatever it was as she looked up to see him with a slightly surprised look on his face as she let go of his wrist. "Sorry I…I'm sorry I just felt a bit suspicious about what you were reaching for."

He nodded lightly as he pulled out a black kukri, but something was off about it, the edge wasn't as sharp as the one she had on her when she came into the tower, it even looked a bit rusted on small parts though that could be fixed with a bit of sharpening maybe. She reached for it slowly and took it from his gloved hand to examine it further, noticing that small chips of the blade were missing, making her wonder where it was stored at to cause it to look like this, noting that it might be almost impossible to repair it. She held it carefully, her body shaking slightly as she rotated the blade in her hand, feeling the familiarity of the handle and the balance of the blade in her hand felt perfect, like an extension of her being had been reunited with her. Her hand started to shake slightly as she tilted the weapon to see the butt had a scratched out crest on it, she looked up at him with a bit of surprise. It wasn't much of a shock to see that he even held onto it for the three years she was dead, but it had to of been painful to look at the blade to even remember that night and dealing with the fact that he couldn't even save her, much less to learn now that she never even died in the first place.

"You…you kept it after I fell didn't you?" she saw a small nod as her gaze went back to the weapon in her hand, memories slowly flooded in her mind as she tried to shake them off, not wanting to remember the night she became a failure…someone who didn't deserve the moniker of being even called a hero. She looked up at Robin again to see him watching her, like he was waiting to see what she would do with it now that she had a weapon in her hand. "You know…that fall was terrifying, I actually saw my life flash before my eyes, though to be honest that was a short film." She started to turn and walk back to the wall to lean against it to stare out at the water below. "The first few months were the hardest after I…died; I kept every clipping I found in every paper about the incident."

"So why didn't you try and contact me, I don't see the problem with telling your…friend what you were doing." He commented as she heard him walk towards her to lean against the wall, seagulls cried loudly as the soft sound of the waves could be heard from the top of the tower, causing her to close her eyes. "You could have told me that you were alive without Br…Batman knowing. We buried…who did we even put in the ground Nightingale? That girl's family…"

"They already knew she was dead, she died of an overdose, Gordon said the family had already been notified of her death, though they really didn't seem to care." She opened her eyes, revealing her azure eyes to be slightly hazed over, seeming to be lost in thought as the sun lowered behind them giving way to the moon and stars. "It was a lovely funeral by the way, though I really think you guys should have just had the roses be red instead of white. The rain was a nice touch though, but I knew you both had no hand in causing it, made the atmosphere to be filled with more despair." Before he could ask how she even saw she continued. "Bats let me leave the hospital on for emergency reasons, my funeral if you can even call it mine anymore, was one of those cases. An attendant was with me holding an umbrella over my head while I watched from a wheelchair feeling helpless."

"Who else knew you were alive?" he questioned, she knew that answer was coming. She sighed lightly and glanced at him from the corner of her mask, her eyes yielding most of the answer. "Did Babs know?"

"Yes…you were the only one really kept out of the loop, Bats said you didn't need to…" she saw his hands curl up into fists as she quietly looked down at the ocean, barely able to see the waves move in the moon light. He was kept out of the loop so he wouldn't go on a revenge trip and try to kill the Joker for what he did, though faking her death wasn't the only option on the table…just the safest. Her head started to throb slightly as she sighed, rubbing her temple with her left hand. "I had no choice Robin…I was just a thirteen year old kid who almost died, what else could I have done? Hell I even went back to school in the time I was dead...I tried having a normal life, but normality didn't suit me very well."

She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves before she continued. "Besides I didn't always listen to Bats anyways I still had contact with many heroes and even knew many villains hiding places, every shady deal recorded from people I was able to weasel it out of, so I used that information to my advantage. In the two years I was stuck in a wheel chair and even while I was still trying to finish school early, I was on top of the list for information brokers, under a different name of course, but I still was in the loop." This was the truth, she was someone the heroes could rely on as a source of information, though she had maybe a few other people getting the information for her while she was recovering from her injuries, but she still felt like she was in contact with the small part of her that still felt like she was doing the right thing. "And I soon started wondering what you were doing, so it took a while to find you." Lie. "But when I found you I felt like I had a duty to tell you the truth." Lie. "So I found a way to get here and waited for the perfect time to talk to you." LIAR. She heard her mind trying to punish her for lying, but if she told the truth about how she found him…she didn't want to find out how he would react.

She glanced over at him to notice his hands were relaxed, causing some of her anxiety to go away, but it still felt as if the lies would come to the surface at some point…but for now it was time to enjoy the life that was before her and make up for what she missed. "Look I know…I should have told you I was alive, I had multiple times to disobey orders and I should have for your sake. I…I felt terrible leaving you in the dark, but I want to make up for my mistakes. I want to become a better person than the one I was before the accident and what better way is to reinvent myself in a new city…alongside a former friend?" she turned to him and held out her free hand, the kukri held tightly in her left hand as she waited for him to reach out and shake it. "But…um I guess I was a bit late on that huh? Look…I know I'll need to earn your trust back, but I am willing to work to get it back in any way possible Robin."

Robin was slightly hesitant to shake her hand causing her to lower her hand a bit as she sighed lightly, he wanted to trust her again, but not even contacting him over the three years she was gone was something that was hard to get over. He had her knife hanging in his room from when he was in Wayne Manor to now, always staring at it and wondering what else he could have done that night. He ran through the scenario in his mind constantly making it into a sort of obsession for him…only after two years he only saw it as a grim reminder of what can happen to anyone in the hero business if they aren't careful. Batman seemed suspicious through the time he stayed with him, but he didn't know that he was the one who orchestrated her fake death…but for what reason is something that even he couldn't wrap his head around.

"Why…why didn't you even try? You said that you want to change, but how do I know that you're going to stay in the city and not disappear again?" he replied, knowing fully well that she might leave again…or not. He noticed the slightly hurt look on her face as he sighed. "I still don't understand why you hid those three years…and why resurface now?"

She turned again and stared out at the bay, slightly wishing he didn't ask those questions, but again it was something unavoidable in her book as she stared for a moment before glancing his way as she told him the answer she came up with out of her own assumption. "I…I had to hide from him you know? The Joker wouldn't have stopped hounding me until I was dead…so both I and Bats settled on faking my death, making it know to everyone that the Joker had "killed" me though in reality he forced me into early retirement." She felt the sourness of her partial lie to him, since she hated being reduced to this state, but the words coming out of her mouth held some truth to them. The Joker would have come after her if he knew that she was still alive and would try to finish the job, so dying was a viable option to Batman, even if she fought tooth and nail to get him to see reason it would have still ended that way. "I was forced to go along with his plan, no matter how much I fought with him over the decision I was out numbered. So stayed hidden, only going out for emergencies and if I needed to go somewhere an attendant would take me somewhere." That was the truth, though it was her own attendant from her company that would do that. "Then after three years of being under his thumb I decided to rely on my own information instead of what he was feeding me to find you…see how you were doing…"

Her hands started to shake lightly as it soon flowed through her body as she tried to control her emotions as anger bubbled up in her at what Batman had done to her. She was never told that Robin left until it was too late; he really put her on a leash so she wouldn't go for revenge against the Joker once she was better. What felt like the worse thing she had to deal with in that time was going to Gotham Academy and having to deal with the mess there and the emotional baggage that it caused. Soon rage changed to guilt and morphed again into regret as she felt her body stop shaking as she remembered she wasn't the only one that suffered during those three years. She sighed lightly and looked over at her male companion with a small smile as her voice came out softly from her lips, too soft for her liking. "Do you…think we can start again Robin? I mean…I know I don't deserve your friendship back right away, but I want to see if I can build that back up again and I want to catch up on what I missed while I was…gone…"

She saw him look slightly hesitant again, but it seemed his mood changed quickly as he held his hand out with a small smirk on his face, which she gladly reached for his hand and shook it in agreement as the weight on her chest soon lifted itself slowly. It was right this way, wasn't it? Forcing her friendship back on him wasn't the right way to go so earning it was a smarter decision…right? Her mind felt slightly boggled at the questions floating through her mind as she absentmindedly followed Robin back down from the roof of the tower to the main Ops room, hearing the other titans talking from the other side of the sliding doors, making her slightly curious at what he was doing.

"I thought that now all the tension was over with I could introduce you to the team properly." As if Robin read her mind to give her and answer she turned to towards him, seeing that smirk from earlier a bit wider, he planned this. She was terrible with new people and places in general, but she didn't want to deal with them now. He noticed her discomfort as he smirked a bit more. "Is the brave Nightingale still afraid of meeting people?"

"I am not…you cheeky little bastard." she muttered the last part under her breath as she stared at the door before her as she started to feel the nervous feeling crawl up her back in a slow and suspenseful manner. "I just don't think this is the right time for me to meet them all…I mean I was just labeled a criminal a few days ago by them and now you want them to recognize me as a potential ally? I really think I should go Robin."

"It will only take a minute Nightingale then you can grab your weapons from the infirmary and be on your way, I promise." He heard a groan escape from her mouth as a small chuckle left his as the doors slid open to reveal the titans in their normal routines after a day full of patrols and stopping small crimes, they deserved a bit of rest. Beast Boy and Cyborg were sitting on the semi-circle couch, shouting about the racing game they were playing as Raven sat over at the table trying to read, her face showed slight annoyance as she tried to block out the arguing as Starfire floated above the kitchen floor as she made herself a strange concoction of food from the fridge. Robin turned back towards Nightingale as he was about to announce her, only to see her holding three small black balls up between her three right fingers as she threw them to the floor as black smoke flooded the room as coughs from each member filled the air.

She wasn't able to see Robin's face when he realized she stole some of his smoke bombs from his belt, but she didn't need to. As she rushed for the elevator in the fog of smoke, as coughed escaped her throat before she covered her mouth with her hand to finally reach it. She pressed her free hand against the wall as she felt for the buttons when she felt her hand press down on the bottom one as a low ding could be heard coming from the doors as they opened, she rolled into the small rectangle and quickly went for the infirmary button on the module as she heard the doors close, leaving a small amount of black smoke in the elevator as she sat on the floor trying to catch her breath as she watched the numbers tick down. Escaping might seem bad on her part, but she wasn't ready for the next step right now, meeting his team personally was a bit more of a step two than step one and a half. She heard the doors roll open as she stood up, walking through the threshold and hurrying to the infirmary and spotting her weapons sprawled on a desk further away from where she was laying only hours before…how did she not notice them?

She reached for her utility belt as she wrapped it around her hip, hearing a faint click as she buckled it together as she felt her kukri tap against her back as she picked the collapsible composite bow and quiver as she threw them on her shoulder to rush out of the room and towards the stairs, calculating how long it too for the smoke to dissipate and trying to see who would be after her first, it had to be one of them stopping her at the door right? She soon started to feel her body ache at the movement, knowing fully well she would need a nice relaxing bath after this venture as she saw the lobby doors, freedom on a few steps away as she noticed a black portal open up in front of the door, revealing a familiar cloaked figure with her violet eyes trying to bore holes into her head.

 _'She seems pissed…'_ Nightingale ducked and side stepped a few black tendrils that were shot at her. _'Scratch that she seemed a bit more than pissed, Robin must have sent her to get me.'_ She looked around the area as she jumped onto a red chair before jumping off again to avoid another tendril as she tried to find a way out, knowing that using any more smoke bombs would be a hazard on both their lungs and she knew the sticky bombs would only hold her long enough to make a brief escape before she caught up with her again. She rushed over to the door as she noticed a gap in her attacks as she seemed to take a small pause before sending more tendrils at her, but soon the door was covered in the same black energy that covered the magic user's hands, causing a curse to escape from Nightingale's lips as she tried to think of another way to escape, I say tried because as soon as the door was blocked a tendril reached for her waist and pulled her around to face a slightly annoyed Raven.

Nightingale panicked slightly as she was pulled closer to her face, seeing the violet eyes staring back into her azure ones, the smell of lavender seemed to be choking and intoxicating at the same time as she gave her a small smile as her mind when haywire on what to do as a way of escape, but once she was free would the magic on the door disappear or would she have to find another way out. Her mind wanted to think of a logical way out…but that only lead to one option and it was something she wasn't comfortable with…or even something she wanted to deal with the consequences for. "U-um well I guess you caught me huh? That may deserve a reward."

She noticed Raven looked slightly confused; maybe it was a guess because her eyes were pools of white at the moment, but that was forgotten as the time as she moved her face closer to hers as she closed her eyes and felt her lips press against hers. It wasn't her first kiss, her first distraction kiss, but in all it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Raven's lips felt slightly soft against hers as the lavender smell from before soon enveloped her; she might have also had a small hint of what a fresh book smelled like off the press. She felt the tendril holding her loosen a bit as she tried to wriggle out to help in her own escape as she pulled away, it was brief and swift along with being slightly enjoyable, but she had a way out now. She opened her eyes to see that the magic holding the door at bay had disappeared; giving her a chance to rush for the door once her boots touched the floor, which she did take that opportunity. The doors opened with a quick slide as she skidded out of the door, only to see Raven turning around to see the rage in her eyes and the slight blush on her cheeks as the doors closed behind her.

Nightingale moved quickly to the water, wondering if her suit was water safe as she moved out from the shallows and into the depths as she tried to swim back to the mainland, only to stop half way and glance back at the tower as it light up at the top part of the T as a shiver came over her, she shouldn't stay too long in the water as she started to swim again, reaching the beach near the pier as she coughed and sputtered, trying to get the salt water that had crept into her mouth as she swam before collapsing on the beach. She saw her quiver was empty of arrows and guessed she lost them on the swim over, making her groan at the thought of getting more as she stared up at the stars in the sky, waiting for some of the water that clung to her suit to dissipate as she slowly stood up and started walking back to her apartment, slightly happy that it wasn't that far of a walk from the pier. She maneuvered around the building to the fire escape and struggled to get to the ladder hanging from it before grabbing it on her third try. Climbing up the slightly rusted ladder was made worse as her gloves on her hands slipped a bit on the metal as she reached the platforms to walk on as she counted where her bedroom kitchen window would be as she checked if it as lock…it wasn't.

She shimmed her way through and closed it behind her once she was inside, breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the tower and in a somewhat familiar place as she slid her soaking costume onto the floor, planning on washing it the next day as she stretched to hear her back pop slightly, relieving the pressure she felt between her vertebra as she continued to strip her costume off, as she walked to her room. She picked some random clothes out of her dresser and slipped on a lose shirt and a pair of baggy sleep pants before collapsing into her bed out of exhaustion. She knew that going back to the tower was on the top of her list, a small blush creeped onto her face as she thought of what she had done to escape, covering her face with her shirt as if she was hiding that embarrassment from someone though no one else was in the apartment. She felt terrible that she had to resort to a tactic like that; she also felt ashamed and guessed that was her first kiss, Nightingale laid there the rest of the night as her mind was plagued with what she was planning on doing next…maybe message Batman about Robin? No she would do that tomorrow, that wasn't at the top of her list at the moment.

 _Meanwhile back at the tower_

Raven stared at the book in front of her, her eyes scanning the same page over and over again, as she sat on her circular bed in her room, though it was a wonder how she could even do that as the room was dimly lit. Her shelves were covered in sculptures and many books on the paranormal along with some in different languages as the purple color of the room seemed to absorb any light that entered the room. She had read the same two pages ever since the came up from trying to capture Nightingale again, it was Robin's fault in the first place so he had her try and fix his mistake. Her cheeks blushed slightly at the thought of what Nightingale did, only to have her face change to its neutral expression as she fumed inside at what was done to her. The next time she saw that azure eyes girl she was going to hang her upside down from the top of the tower until she apologized. She sighed and closed her eyes, she shouldn't let her emotions get better of her...maybe meditation could help calm them all down. She crossed her legs kept her eyes closed as started to say her mantra slipping into her subconscious and ignoring world outside it.

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 **AND THAT IS THE END OF CHAPTER THREE…sorry it took so long to even get this up it was hard because I started to procrastinate and when that happens nothing gets done…but tada! It's the end of the chapter you made it and I am proud! Please PM me or review and I'll answer any question you have at the moment for this chapter, though I will answer one that I will probably get asked a bit.**

 **Why did she kiss Raven I thought you wanted the relationship build up to be slow? I can answer this one perfectly, because how else could Nightingale escape from that without harming her in the process. So yeah there is the short answer, the long answer is because it was a distraction kiss so to be honest it doesn't count as a kiss…right? No it still does. Damn I thought I could get away with that one, but alas I can't.**

 **Also yeah Nightingale was a very busy girl in those three years she was "dead" but that will be handled in a later chapter and I can't wait until that happens because that is a fun story to tell.**

 **Anyways I would seriously love to hear what you guys' thing or even tell me what Nightingale sounds like to you when you read the chapters. Because I always enjoy a good review from you guys. The next chapter will be up at some point I just gotta think of what I am going to do for it and if I plan on having it as an episode chapter. So yeah that is a fun decision to make and if you guys have suggestions I would be willing to hear them.**

 **So please PM or review and maybe favorite this story to wait for the next update. Anri is out…PEACE.**


	5. Chapter Four

**Hey guys it is I, Anri, here and I am happy to have you guys back for another chapter of** _ **Nightingale's Song**_ **which…is neither an episode chapter nor a song chapter…just a regular chapter. I can hear you guys' asking why I haven't done an episode chapter…my response is I am only four chapters in so…ha. I know that** _ **Nevermore**_ **is going to be maybe chapter seven or eight…it's all up to me on what I should have and seriously I want the titans to be a bit more comfortable with Nightingale before chapter nine and ten, which will include** _ **Apprentice part I**_ **and** _ **II**_ **respectively. I might even do the** _ **Sisters**_ **episode so she can be a bit closer to Starfire if possible, but I want everyone's opinion on that maybe since it is a maybe, I'm not really sure about if I should really do** _ **Sisters**_ **or if I should save that for a later chapter. Also the other episodes maybe include the** _ **Mad Mod**_ **episode,** _ **Switched**_ **, and** _ **Masks**_ **so maybe it might take a bit to** _ **Apprentice**_ **and the reveal I plan on doing after a couple more episode chapters will be a big one…depends on my mood. SO yeah I have a lot of things planned for this and I can't wait to see what you guys will think about how I handle adding Nightingale to the mix of each episode and see how she handles each situation…I can't wait til you guys see how she handles Terra…hohoho that is going to be a fun experience. She and Terra might not get along very well or she will be very protective of her friends and be wary of this new girl showing off her metahuman power.**

 **This whole chapter is going to be about Nightingale trying her hardest to have a bit of peace in her life as she tries to adjust living in this new city. Though she also is trying to hide from the titans because she is waiting to enact part two of her plan and well yeah that is all that is going to happen in this chapter…maybe. I don't know what else might be in store for you guys, but you have to read it and see what I have in store for you all in this chapter I do promise that I will have the next chapter as an episode chapter.**

 **Also I am still telling you guys this, the romance will be slow. I cannot stress that enough, I only did the kiss last chapter as a distraction so Nightingale could escape, hell maybe she might move in with the titans at the tower because…reasons? Seriously you just have to wait and read the chapter to see what happens and I really hope you like it since I am so happy that I was able to actually get this out for you guys and I enjoy having to see all of you guys reading it and I feel slightly upset thought, but the apology is in the next paragraph below this one for the reason why this is late and I do apologize.**

 **Also my life has been going great…I'm kidding my life is kinda hectic, but personally I like chaos, because what is a little order without a dash of chaos? Anyways the reason why this chapter is so late is because I have a job now, with I work at a factory and I get home at around 12 midnight and I crash immediately once I step through the door. Work saps all the energy I have out of me so it will take me a while to get chapters out to you guys and really it kinda eats me up inside and I feel really guilty because every time I put a chapter up, I always see a flood of people from places outside the U.S. that read my story and I want to be able to pump out more chapters for you guys. So I do plan on having a schedule, meaning I will work on a chapter for two to three days on regular paper and use my days I can't go to work because of my damn flat feet and use that to type up the story and publish it either Saturday or Sunday depending on what I have going on those days. But I am not giving up on this or any of my other stories I have out…even though** _ **Into the Unknown**_ **is kinda on a small break since the chapter I want to put up is not going right in my head…that I why I have** _ **Nightingale's Song**_ **.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think about it so please PM me or review once you are done reading if you can or hey if you know what episode I should do that can be suggested as well. I actually wouldn't mind that honestly. Sooo anyways onto the disclaimer is what I'm saying.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, if I did I would be so happy and really the only things I own are Nightingale and her origin story and I guess the plot of the story.**

 **Enjoy.**

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 **Chapter Four: Peace and Quiet…or Maybe Not.**

It had been almost a week since Nightingale had escaped from the tower, meaning she hid in her apartment with the curtains drawn so she wouldn't catch a glace of the Titans Tower from the bay, sure they didn't know that she was that close to them and only a few had seen her out of costume, but she couldn't be too sure that they would find her just walking about and snatch her right up to be taken back to the tower. She had even been ordering groceries to her door as if stepping outside would be enough to set off the titans' radar. Though it could not be avoided for forever though as she soon found herself staring at the computer in front of her as she glanced over her report she was planning on sending to Batman on an encrypted phone she had on her person at all-time via a connector cable, but every time she typed out a decent report it always would feel as if it wasn't coming out of her own mouth as she read it back to herself on multiple occasions to the point in which it started to piss her off a bit. She glared at the screen more as she read it aloud to herself.

"In my findings of observing your former cohort is that he is doing well on his own two feet as he has found his own group of companions and does not need to be looked over any further by someone who is supposed to be his superior." As she kept reading the angrier she got at her own wording as she started to skim over every word as it started to over whelm her in as a growl of frustration came out of her mouth as her fists raised into the air and slammed against the keyboard, feeling a few of the keys break under the force of her rage as a loud crack came from the board her azure eyes filled with fury as their color seemed to chance to hold a hint of purple, but she soon snapped out of her fit as she lifted her hands up, revealing her keyboard had been crushed by the impact. As she inspected further it was clear that she damaged it enough to cause a split to appear in the middle of it, a low groan escaped from her mouth as she dragged her hands slowly along her face in frustration. As she mourned the loss of her keyboard a familiar buzzing noise filled the air as she glanced over at her phone to see a familiar number flash on her screen, reaching for it an sliding the green call button over to answer it as she picked it up from the desk.

"Hello this is Celine what can I do f-?" she was cut off as someone screamed her name over her own voice, causing her to wince slightly as she pulled the phone away from her ear and press the speaker button. "Rat please calm down, you almost blew an eardrum with your screeching what do you want?"

" _What do I want? Where the hell have you been Celine?! I dropped by your apartment to find it empty and what have I told you about calling me Rat, my name is James and I hate that damn codename you gave me. Do you know how worried we all were when you up and disappeared? Misty wouldn't calm down for Christ's sake and the others went on a man hunt and every time I called your phone it would always go to voice mail. What is going on?"_ the voice on the other end seemed to be full of worry and anger, it was clearly a man, though his voice wasn't rough and seemed more like it was a soft spoken sort of tone to it. " _Black Bird…Celine please tell me what is going on and where you are, I can understand if you wanted a vacation or if you needed some time away from us all again, but you don't up and leave like that. I want to know why so the others and I can calm down…please."_

Celine sat there for a moment as she thought of what to say to him, he knew she was a former heroine, though only a few in her small knitted group of informants knew that fact…but if she told him that she was back in the game he would find her and drag her back to Gotham himself and get an earful from him on the way back along with the reason she didn't answer his phone was because of the...She sighed lightly before she replied to him, only wanting to tell him the half-truth for now though she really didn't want to tell him anything…but he was second in command he had to know at least some of it. "I was hired to fish information on someone for a close friend and old friend of my family. It's a secret hush kinda business and I didn't have time to inform you guys about the job. I was told I had to do this on my own as well and it might be a while until I can come home. I…I'm sorry that I left in such a hurry, but I'll try to keep in touch if I can."

She heard silence on the other end of the line, hoping he bought her half-truth before she heard a rough sigh. " _Just…next time you get a job like this where you need to go solo then tell me where you are going or at least what you are doing. I'll inform Misty and the others of what you are doing…you better call her later and apologize; she was a wreck when she couldn't sense your presence. Please don't scare us next time…"_

A small smile appeared on her face as a low chuckle escaped from her mouth. "I'll make sure I call her Ra-I mean James, but in the mean time I have to buy myself a new keyboard…" she glanced at the board as she bit her lip gently. "I'll try to call her later okay? I just really have to go at the moment and I am going to call this number again so keep the phone close to you. Bye James, send Misty my regards along with the rest of the gang."

" _Always so formal, alright Celine I'll keep it close by, but if I don't get a call I will call back and you will have to deal with her fury yourself. You be careful out there…where ever you are._ " James chuckled on the other end of the line as a soft click could be heard as the phone beeped to tell her that he had hung up on her. She sighed gently as she stood up from her computer chair and strolled over to her closet to pick out an outfit to wear while she was out, her costume hung in the center of the bar, and no other clothes were even near it as she stared at the black fibers as she grazed her fingers over it. The urge to put the suit back on was hard to fight, getting the salt water smell out of it had been hard, but she soon pulled her hand away from it there was no need to play hero right? The titans had that covered anyways and she was only going to use it for that…she groaned slightly as she grabbed the suit, sliding her shirt off and slipping the top on before sliding the tights on as well.

"I am just going to wear this underneath, not like I'm going to need to wear it since I'm not a hero anymore, but you know my brain is stupid…" she muttered to herself as she put a casual blue long sleeve shirt on to cover the top part of her costume and a pair of skinny jeans to go along with it. She picked up her utility belt and noticed the rusted blade was right next to its brother, wondering if in the rush of leaving the tower she had blindly put it back in its place. She unclipped it from the belt and placed it on the desk next to her broken keyboard, reminding her to unplug it from the computer and deleting the page that had now been filled with nonsense as she went back to putting the rest of her clothes on. She slipped on a pair of black socks and her steel toed boots to finish her look as she placed her weapons, mask and belt in a book bag before throwing it over her shoulder and feeling the weight of the items inside weigh her shoulders down a bit. She reached for the smashed keyboard and threw it was in the trash can near the door as she opened the door to leave, hearing it crunch loudly as it hit the bottom of the can. She rustled for her keys and started to lock the door before strolling down the hallway. She avoided the main desk area of the complex and slipped out into the mid-day heat as a blast of hot air slammed her in the face. She squinted her eyes a bit as she glanced down at the phone in her hand to type in any computer shops nearby, but sadly she would half to walk across town to even get a new keyboard, though it was a good excuse to explore the city a bit more.

She pulled the directions up on the screen as she strolled down the sidewalk, watching the people around her trying to grasp some sort of information or anything else on the titans. She had finally slid her way into part two, which was gathering more intel without being so close to them of course, what good information broker would even get close to their targets? Sure she could live in the tower and get more info that way, but it wasn't worth it in the long run…getting attached again to Robin didn't seem too smart and his team probably wouldn't trust her since she evaded them the last time. Her phone beeped at her as she started to get closer to her location, noticing that she was entering the heart of the city as signs lit up buildings with advertisements of any product you could imagine as she glanced around looking for the store before her eyes settled on the store, it seemed like a store that sold about every electronic you could think of, but she was more focused on getting a new keyboard was her biggest priority at the moment. She walked into the shop noticing a mill of people moving around the area as she walked down the aisles as, her eyes scanning the shelves to see what they had to offer before she spotted the item she needed.

She was adept with hardware like this, since her job required it anyways, but it was still hard to pick since all the standard models had a chance of suffering from a malfunction with the keys and the expensive models had a longer quality of use out of them. She sighed lightly as she tapped her foot gently against the ground as she contemplated on her choices when she heard a commotion near the front of the store, though it was hard to miss when the person was shouting and it could be heard throughout the whole store. Nightingale glanced from the corner of her eye to see an odd looking man at the front desk shouting at a poor girl working here probably as a summer job. He seemed to be a portly man with very long bright orange hair and a large unibrow to boot along with his mutton chops making him look like a fat rip off of some famous movie star that was in the news recently because of her…what was his name again? He seemed like the stereotype of people who lived in their mother's basement and was obsessed with one fandom that he wore proudly seeing that he was cosplaying from some TV show.

She watched him a bit more along with trying to figure out the actor's name that his chops reminded her of he started to act a bit irrational and it added to his irate nature when she noticed his hand was reaching for something in his jacket. Time slowed for her as she tried to think of ways to change and apply her gear as she spotted a supply closet nearby that seemed to be cracked open as she glanced up at the ceilings, noticing the camera was panning away from her, giving her a small window to rush to the door. She acted quickly and tugged the door open, revealing a room full of cleaning supplies, but she ignored the bucket near her feet as she started to slip off her top layers of clothes off and shoving them into her bag. The guy seemed to be yelling louder as she started to clip her belt on as she pulled out her collapsible composite bow, frowning slightly as she noticed she had only a six arrows left in her small quiver as she finally put her mask on.

Nightingale cracked the door open slightly, making sure her backpack was in an area she could quickly grab it later, noticing the camera was staying pointed towards the counter, the girl at the counter must have pressed a button or something to alert the camera and the cops meaning she had only a small window to actually stop whatever was going on and get out in time before anyone could stop her. She snuck around a few displays as she started to get a clearer view of the man as he was holding something in his hand as he waved it around continuing his rant. She noticed the store clerk spotted her as she held up her finger in a shush motion, getting a small and barely noticeable nod from the girl; now that she was closer she noticed they were probably the same age. Finally she was in range to knock the weapon out of his hand as she raise the bow into position, pressing the feathers near her cheek as the notch was pulled into place as she aimed and tried not to get him through the hand. She took in a shallow breath as she waited five seconds before releasing it and letting the arrow fly towards its target. It clipped the weapon out of his hand and earning a loud squeak in surprise at the sudden attack as he turned towards her making her notice his face seemed a lot oiler this close and he emitted an odd smell that almost caused her to gag slightly.

"What was that for?!" his nasally voice rung in her ears as she noticed the clerk running out of the store with a few other patrons following suit until the store was empty. She didn't really feel like answering his question as she pulled another arrow from the quiver, earning a motion of surrender from the pudgy man as she started to walk closer to him as she noticed the weapon he had on him that caused her to raise an eyebrow. A remote lay on the floor as it sparked slightly with the arrow sticking out of it, making her want to inquire what he was planning on doing with it when she glanced back up at her captive to see he hand moved closer and was in range with a fist going straight for her stomach. She braced for impact as she was thrown back a bit making her surprised at the force behind it when a low hiss escaped from her mouth as she went through a TV display. She sat up from the sparking TV underneath her as she picked the arrow up from the ground and back into its quiver and strapped the bow over her shoulders. Nightingale was slightly pissed that the assailant got the drop on her, but it wasn't going to happen again.

"Now that was uncalled for." she curled her hand into a fist and reached up to her right jaw, turning her head slightly to hear a loud crack echo through the store, causing the portly man to back up slightly as if the sound was causing him to regret his decision from earlier…good. "You were threatening that young girl with violence from your tone of voice, so I decided to destroy your…"she glanced at the remote as if it was out of pity. "Weapon if I can even call it that, and I was going to hold you off until the cops got here," her azure eyes flare a with anger as they steeled over as she repeated her earlier motion with her left hand as another crack could be heard through the store. "But you have now pissed me off." She slowly moved into her off hand stance as she started to walk closer to him causing panic to run through his face as she started to pick up in almost an inhuman amount of speed before her right fist slammed into his face, giving him a sharp right hook to knock him onto the floor unconscious she huffed lightly, feeling a bit out of breath as she reached for her handcuffs in her belt as she attached his wrist to a heavy display so he wouldn't move if he woke up so the cops could easily get him. She smiled at her handy work as she pulled her arrow out of the remote while placing it in the quiver as she started to go back to the supply closet for her bag as she heard the door burst open and a familiar voice ring out in the still air.

"Alright Control Freak it's time for you to-?" Robin stared at the scene before him as he noticed a familiar figure standing with their back towards him as if they were walking away from the unconscious Control Freak. The other titans stood behind him almost as surprised as him to see what was before them. They of course had been looking for Nightingale ever since she left the tower in a flurry of smoke; though Robin seemed to be looking for her almost any chance he could get causing it to turn into a small obsession, but to have her standing her after taking out a villain was a bit jarring. She slowly turned her head towards them as her eyes seemed to hold a sense of fear as if she was child that was caught stealing a cookie from the jar onto of the fridge. It was a paused silence before she moved away from them, running for a door near the middle of the store, causing Robin to reach in chasing after her as he signaled the others to follow suit. She slid towards the door as she reached up to open it and grab her book bag from the floor as she hugged it close to her chest. She stood up slowly only to be stopped by a large green lion in her face, roaring at her as if it was going to make her stop running. She held her bag high and smacked it against Beast Boy's snout as she used his now bowed head as leverage to jump over him as she glanced over at her exit only to see that it was now sealed off with a black wall of aura.

"Shit, now where do I go…" she trialed off noticing that Robin, Cyborg and Starfire were closing in on her as it left her only one option. She unclipped her kukri from its clip as she and glanced at the window behind her before hurling it at the glass causing it to clip into it for a breaking point. She turned on her heels as she bursted into a full sprint towards her knife as she threw her book bag on her right shoulder to cover her quiver as she braced herself for the impact as she jumped up toward her kukri as she wrapped her hand around the hilt to used her body as pressure to cause the glass to crack and break under the pressure applied to it. She heard a few people scream and run from the falling glass as she curled herself up slightly as she rolled over the glass covered sidewalk before stopping herself. She quickly got up from her crouched position as she started to sprint away from the titans who were trying to catch up to her.

Nightingale sheathed her kukri as she turned into an alley near a few blocks away from the store, away from any civilians that could get hurt in the process of her escape. She placed her book bag behind two metal trash cans and cover it with a dry cardboard box as she plotted her way out of this when she heard loud footsteps rushing for her causing her to act faster. She pulled out a thing nylon rope from her belt as she tied it to one of her arrows, backing up from the brick wall and aiming for the roof above as she let the arrow fly, hearing a soft thump as seemed to get caught on something as she pulled at it enough to make sure it was sturdy as she started to climb up the wall hearing someone halt in front of the alley entrance.

"Nightingale stop I just want to talk!" Robin's voice echoed along the walls as she started to climb faster, feeling her left arm twitch slightly at how much exorcise it was being put through. As she reached her right hand out to the edge of the building she felt someone grab onto her arm and pull her up into the air, as she looked up to see Starfire holding her in the air only a few feet from the roof. The alien girl's grip tightened on her as she tried to squirm her way out of it, causing hint of pain to come across her face as she reached into a small pouch for something to be used as a distraction before pulling out a small flash grenade. She really didn't want to harm any of the titans…but Starfire was starting to hurt her wrist.

"Friend Nightingale you must stop. We only would like to have the chat with you." Her broken english filled her head as she fought the urge to pull the pin, she didn't want to blind her and cause her to fall, but there was no other choice right? She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled the pin, hearing Starfire gasp loudly as her grip loosened enough for her to slip away and crash onto the roof of the building on her bad shoulder, earning a loud cry of pain to escape from Nightingale's mouth as she tried to bit her lip to muffle the sound as she opened her eyes slowly as she counted to ten before sprinting away. She glanced back to see Starfire rubbing her eyes as Cyborg stopped to help her back up…with Robin right on her tail with a slightly annoyed look on his face. She jumped across the gaps between buildings in long strides and could feel that it was taking a toll on her body, sure she had exercised regularly after the incident any way that she could, but it still was a new experience for her muscles to endure. A larger building was approaching with a longer gap between it and the lower building as if some sort of God was testing her at the moment as she noticed and worn fire ladder hung on the side of the building as she felt the crunch of the loose pebbles on the roof of the building she was on hinder her speed though her determination wasn't going down as she started to sprint faster while her calves screamed at her to stop as she prepared herself to jump with one last long stride. Robin tried to catch up to her, noticing what she was planning on doing as he reached out for her as she jumped from the edge of the building as he barely brushed his gloved fingers along her arm. He watched as she made it almost to the ladder in awe as her fingers missed the rung she was reaching for as gravity started to take its control as his eyes shot open in horror.

"Nightingale!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he prepared to jump after her, fearing that he was going to have a terrible flashback become reality again before he noticed that she caught herself only four rungs down from her original point of impact and from there she started to climb down to a lower platform as she rushed down a rickety and rusted stairs to the ground. He soon rushed after her as he landed on the platform she was on only a few moments ago as he continued his pursuit after his former comrade, seeing her duck and weave between the crowded sidewalks of the city as he wondered where she was heading as he soon started to catch up again and notice she was slowing down before slipping into a side street to avoid being spotted as he paused before following, wondering what she was planning as he crept along the place slowly noting a few trash cans and bins scattered the area making him a bit more cautious…but he wasn't cautious enough.

Nightingale snuck up behind him as she held a trash lid in her hand as she raised it up to bash him in the back to give her enough time to run, but the element of surprise was wasted as she kicked a medium sized chunk of loose asphalt from its place as it echoed against the ground and hit a nearby trash bin causing a loud bang to echo though the vicinity. Robin turned on his heels quickly as he brought his collapsible b o staff to its full length as she used the trash lit up to block the incoming attack, causing the two metals to clang together to make a horrendous noise travel along the wall making Nightingale grit her teeth in pain as she kept blocking each attack he threw at her which soon caused her to drop the lid to cover her ears in agony over the sound that reverberated in her skull making her vulnerable. This gave Robin the perfect opportunity to attack as he swung his bo staff to the side causing her body to shift and run into one of the trash cans, tipping the contents out onto the asphalt as it caused her to stumble as she recovered from the ear shattering noise she had just endured while assessing her situation. She knew that if she stayed around any longer she would get caught by Robin and unable to observe from further away as she started to feel a warm and wet sensation on one of her cheeks, wondering how much damage the glass had done anyways.

Her assailant looked her over, noticing that she had decent sized cut on her left cheek that was bleeding slightly onto the ground below as he started to take in her appearance he also noted her costume seemed undamaged from jumping through glass, which made him a bit more curious at where she even got her knew suit in the first place, but he would have to ask that later. He held his bo staff towards her chest as she held a slight hesitance before slowly getting back up from the slight fall she encounters as she reached behind her back for her kukri, a loud click noise could be heard as Robin readied himself for her attack. Silence filtered through the air as Nightingale made her move, swiftly moving her right arm from behind her to use her knife as a way of blocking his attacks, hearing her kukri scrape against the staff. She ducked low and kicked her foot into the side of his right knee, knowing he carried most of his weight on his right side causing him to stumble out of surprise at her attack. She wasn't the only one aware of weaknesses as he soon retaliated by slamming the edge of his bo staff into her left shoulder that caused her to bite her lip to stop the scream from coming out as she took two steps back from him as a steeled glare was sent his way.

"That was dirty Robin, very dirty for a fighter of your caliber." She said as they both started to circle each other in the cramped side street. "Of course we can both agree that when I kicked your right leg that wasn't fair either, but you haven't changed. You still carry your weight on your right leg since it's your off side." a low chuckle came from her throat as she smirked at him. "Of course our mentor would probably yell at us at our stupidity of leaving ourselves open for attacks of opportunity."

"I don't want to keep fighting you Nightingale please the others and I just want to talk with you." He replied back, his voice filled with a type of tone she wasn't used to hearing out of his mouth the sincerity was enough to want her to stop…but she couldn't get attached to him again or even to his team for that matter, sure she was attached to her gang back home…sure she was lonely here, but it wasn't worth blowing her cover just to have her friend back…right? She slowly lowered her knife to him though she would never cut him with it as she started to put it away as she raised her hands carefully in surrender as she thought over the consequences of being found out to be underweighted by the chance to be near her former comrade, wondering where the other titans were most importantly where was when out of the corner of her eye she noticed a black swirling portal open near her before she could react to move out of the way as black tendrils attached to her wrists and ankles bringing her to her knees as she hissed slightly in pain from the sudden motion as a stinging feeling traveled up through her spine. She turned her head to see a familiar cloaked figure exiting her portal and planting her feet onto the asphalt near Robin who seemed slightly concerned, but his face stayed stoic.

"Good job keeping a suitable distance from me as I tracked her down, but I think you can let her go for now it seems like she wants to cooperate for now." He placed a hand on Raven's shoulder as he earned a small nod from the hooded girl, though Nightingale noticed her hands squeeze slightly as a spike of pain raced from her wrists to make her bite her lip again until she couldn't feel them there anymore before she stood up slowly and rubbed her wrist trying to make the lingering pain disappear as she watched the two cautiously as she lowered her hands back to her sides.

' _She still seems a bit pissed about what happened last time…damn who knew astral tendrils even could cause that much pain._ ' She thought to herself as she noticed the other titans were soon catching up to them as she spotted a green hawk flying above them, wondering how long they hand been following without her noticing. ' _Damn it I must really be rustier than I thought if they could stay that close on my heels without me noticing…is it odd that I feel a bit of pride for them?_ ' Cyborg and Starfire soon strolled up to them as she noticed the alien girl was still rubbing her eyes, it seemed that she was having an adverse effect from the flash grenade or maybe her eyes were extremely sensitive, Nightingale made a note of it in her head as she soon saw all the titans were in the side street observing her to see what she would do as she silence started to bother her. "So you guys wanted to talk right? I think it would be better if we went somewhere that civilians can't hear us."

The titans glanced at each other before looking towards their leader for the answer; it was his idea to track her down anyways, though they could never have guessed she would be at a scene of a crime cuffing a villain to a counter. Robin walked closer to her as he put his bo staff away on his belt before standing a foot away from her as a small smile appeared on his face causing her nerves to calm down a bit. "The tower would be a secure enough place, Starfire can fly…" he then remembered that Starfire had to help him get back to his cycle while Cyborg was going to be carried by Beast Boy back to the tower, leaving him with only one option. He looked back towards Raven, who raised an eyebrow at him as she wondered what he was thinking before he spoke. "Maybe Raven could make a platform for you to float on sa-?"

"NO!" both girls replied hastily as if their lives depended on it as the remaining members of the group glanced back and forth between the girls wondering what had happened between them both, the lobby's cameras were down for maintenance when Nightingale had escaped and when Raven came back from trying to bring her back she had fury in her eyes as she went to her room. Robin glanced back and forth between them noticing they both were staring each other down before he let out a small sigh.

"It's your only other option aside from walking and Raven's portals are only short range and it was a hassle to keep up with us anyways." Robin commented, knowing they both had to compromise since he knew Nightingale probably didn't want to have another stint of exorcise and it seemed she was trying to keep her weight off of her left leg at the moment. "So you both will have to deal with it, even if you have to spend the whole time in silence, though it's not a long trip in the first place." They both soon avoided each other's eyes as they were in agreement of the plan as he turned on his heels to return to the group. "It's settled then, Starfire will take me back to my cycle and Cyborg will be taken back by Beast Boy, we will be reconvening in the ops room and then we will start our introductions and questions." And soon everyone was gone except for the two girls who were still avoiding each other's gaze as a pregnant silence filled the air as the commotions in the street started to die down.

Nightingale shuffled her feet slightly before coughing to get Raven's attention, though it earned a cold glare as she spoke. "Um hey is it possible to go back to the alley where you guys diverged at…I need to pick up my bag that I left there it has…personal things in it." She didn't hear a response as she spotted the hooded girl making a large enough platform for the both of them to be secure enough to stand on, noticing that she was being given the cold shoulder. "Hey I'm trying to ask nicely and look if you still have beef with me over what happened I'm sorry okay? You didn't leave me a choice in what I-?!" Raven had turned to look at her, the violet of her eyes had darkened as she startled Nightingale with the hidden malice towards her...it was if she was trying to control her own rage and was there red forming from them?

"I don't like you nor do I trust you like the others." Her monotone voice rang neutral, but the drops of venom in her words were very apparent even her face seemed unaffected by her rage that was seething underneath. "Robin and the others seem to be okay with your presence, but I am not. So until you at least show some sort of trust towards any of us and running at the first sight of us, I won't hesitate to throw you into a portal to a demon plane and lock it shut, got it?"

The two stared at each other for a moment as the masked heroine glared back at the hooded girl; she wanted to say a few choice words back to the empath, but she was her only way to get to the tower and personally a demon plane sounded terrible in general though she could guess that maybe Raven didn't have that type of power… she sighed in defeat before moving past her to get onto the platform she had made. "Trust me or don't that is your choice Ice Queen, I'm not the one in control over what you think of me so let's just act nice for the others and get this chat over with alright. I have a tracker on my bag so if someone takes it I can retrieve it." she could tell that Raven wasn't amused with her nickname, but she stayed silent as she joined her on the floating disc as it started to slowly lift off the ground. She reached her hand up to her cheek to feel that the blood had already dried slightly and closed the cut up for now, probably needed to put a large bandage on it if she was able to find some at the tower as she looked down at the city below. The sun had started to set as she wondered what time she even left the apartment or when the hold up even happened as he eyes spotted the city brightening up in the darkness. It was a spectacular view and it was better than the Gotham skyline when it wasn't raining and the fog wasn't covering the buildings above, but this was different from the dark and dreary Gotham. She turned to look at Raven with her arms crossed as she looked ahead towards the tower, the T shaped building seemed to glow against the cascading sun as she wondered what type of inquiries they would try to get out of her.

"They won't be asking much, not like they will bite you." Raven said as she broke the silence between them as a small smirk could be seen out of the corner of her hood causing Nightingale to frown back. For someone who barely spoke it she had some sort of feisty side to her since that comment had a hint of sarcasm in it, though as soon as she saw the smirk it quickly vanished before her face became cold and emotionless again. Nightingale rolled her eyes as she glanced down at the city below them turn into the beautiful sea below, wondering if jumping from this high would hurt her, but she soon let the thought leave her mind making her glance back at the empath next to her as the sunlight hit the visible parts of her greyish skin as if to add some life to it as her mind started to wander as the tower grew closer as the grass and sandy island below became closer, making her swallow her pride and her last chance to run as she stepped off into the grass as they landed, holding her hand out to help Raven off, but being brushed off as she walked past her as the disc disappeared into nothing as the hooded girl walked up to the door and placed her hand against a scanner as a red beam traced her hand before changing to a bright lime green color as the front doors opened to the lobby revealing the familiar red and grey interior of the floor.

The two entered the area as the doors closed behind them as they went further down the long row of chairs before reaching the elevator, making Nightingale seem slightly uncomfortable being in the rectangular box alone with Raven for a bit longer, but it was something she would have to deal with as she soon noticed the electronic doors closed behind her sealing her fate, she couldn't turn back now. Sure she would be able to observe Robin and his team much closer now…but it brought on attachment as a cost and she didn't need more friends brought into her own problems. She watched as the numbers and name of each floor passed before the ops room flashed, causing the elevator to jolt to a stop making her stomach churn as the doors slid open, revealing the hallway to the ops center, making every step heavier and heavier before reaching the sliding doors to the center, revealing an interesting scene.

Robin was leaning casually against the table near the kitchen area as he seemed to be watching Cyborg and Beast Boy playing a fighting game as the sound of the mashing buttons, making her fell sorry for the abused controllers as it ended with Cyborg winning and the two teens yelling at each other as one demanded a rematch. Nightingale glanced towards the kitchen, seeing a few pizza boxes opened with the fresh smell of grease filling the air…and a hint of tofu? Her nose reacted to the smell as her stomach gurgled slightly as it reminded her she had not eaten yet today. Starfire seemed to be rummaging around the kitchen, grabbing a yellow bottle as she guessed it was mustard and squirt it onto a couple of slices that were on a plate causing an odd queasiness to come over her as she spotted Raven moving away and sitting over at a light colored booth with a worn book on the table as she started reading, though her face showed annoyance as the two boys screamed over the game. Nightingale watched them all from her spot near the doors as she felt a familiarity from watching them all, making her think of the others at home…maybe she should do a group call after this was over as she stood awkwardly. Robin's head finally turned towards her as he gave her a small nod as he stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"Your attention is needed titans, so if it's possible please pause and stop what you are doing so we can get our questions answered." He spoke with such confidence; even Nightingale was slightly impressed when she saw the others stop what they were doing, though Raven glanced up for a second before going back to her book. She glanced at him to see if he noticed, but it looked as if he didn't mind that she was only listening as he held his hand near a seat as if he was asking her to sit making her hesitate with all their eyes on her, but she soon sat down and as she did three of the five titans gravitated towards her as a barrage of questions was shot at her causing her brain to short circuit for a moment causing her to only pick up on a few of the questions that they had asked.

"Why did you come here?"

"Dude how do you know Robin?"

"Do you like the mustard on your pizza?"

"How did you get your hands on that type of hardware?"

She wanted to cover her ears to try and regain herself as she noticed Robin hold his hand up to make them stop as he grabbed a plate off the counter along with a cup as he handed it to her as the titans started to get a distance from her. "I can guess you're a hungry, so how about you eat while we ask our questions and answer when you can." She took the plate from him and placed it on her lap, sending a jolt through her as she felt the heat roll off from the bottom of the plate from the pizza as she gingerly took the cup from his hand to see that it was water, making her think back to the time in the interrogation room when she was here last. She glanced up at him raising an eyebrow before speaking.

"Not that I'm offended by the hospitality from some of you… but why are you being so…" she stopped herself before saying any more; she didn't want to be so offensive if she spoke more as her free hand reached for one of the slices on her plate which she noted they had some pepperoni on them. Nightingale took a small bite as she waited for a response.

"I wasn't going to bring it up, but I think you would like to see what the police had sent to me to add to Control Freak's file." He grabbed a remote from the counter and clicked a random button, causing the input to change to the security footage from the electronic store, replaying the incident from earlier for all the titans to see and making Nightingale feel slightly embarrassed as red started to appear on her tannish cheeks as she nibbled nervously on her slice of pizza. She even heard her voice over the small mic that was attached to the camera as the grainy audio played over the speakers making her embarrassment worsen as she glanced over at Raven through the gaps, seeing though she could not see the expression she was making at the scene as she quickly glanced back to see herself slam her fist into this Control Freak's face as if it was nothing as Robin paused the video.

"I have to say that was a very well placed right hook, but your foot seemed to slip slightly before you landed the blow so not a lot of bruising was formed on his cheek." He crossed his arms as he turned to face her with an expressionless face. "So what I want to know is how you got there before we did."

"I saw what was happening and it needed to be stopped, that's a simple enough answer for you." She replied, her mouth slightly filled with food as she washed it down with the water after she swallowed. "I know if it was you Boy Blunder you would have stepped in as well." Her eyes met his as she smirked, knowing his answer already, but he soon rewound the video to earlier when she was leaving the closet making her confidence slip a bit as she glared at him. "I wasn't just going to stand there and watch him harass the clerk or even let any costumers get hurt by some costumed freak; I dealt with enough of those in Gotham every time I turned on the news."

"Considering that this isn't the first time you helped stop a crime, I don't think you came here just to see me and try and catch up, Nightingale." He sighed and ran his hand through his spiked hair, making her wonder how much gel he had to put in his hair to make it like that. "I know you said that…your death was a cover up along with the fact that you were hiding, since most of my questions were answered when I talked to you in the interrogation room and on the roof of the tower I just only have one more for you." Nightingale raised her eyebrow as she took a drink from her cup of water, placing the cleared plate on the counter next to her as she waited for his question, though she wasn't really prepared for what he was going to ask, neither were the rest of the team.

"I want you to become an honorary titan." A gasp escaped from two member's mouths as Cyborg stayed silent with his arms crossed as if he was trying to hold in his own shock, Raven had almost dropped her book as a reaction to hearing those words come out of his mouth as she regained her composure quickly. Nightingale however seemed to have the most shocked reaction as she choked on the water that had entered her throat before it rose back up, burning her nose as she hacked up the water as she spatted it onto the carpeted floor as she coughed loudly as she tried to think over the words that had come out of his mouth, become a titan? She gasped shallowly as she tried to calm herself down from the sudden shock that went through her system as she looked up to see him holding out one of the communicators that she had seen on their persons before. The device was circular in shape with what looked to be a thick phone antenna on it as a large white T with a black background was in the center as a yellow shell held it together, she looked up at him wondering if he was serious about this, but his face seemed to confirm her suspicion about his sincerity. She stood up quickly and turned her back towards him as if she was trying to hide her face, but only one had seen the look on her face… the fear that had formed from the offer.

"A-are you nuts Robin? You don't even know if I can be trusted with that let alone being called an "honorary titan" is a bit much and I…" she glanced up to see Raven had seen her fear, making her wonder if she would use it against her later as she tried to make it go away, but it soon pitted into her stomach as she turned back around to look at the others seeing as if some of them were eager as well to hear what she had to say. "Robin I-I can't accept your offer I...this is too fast for me and I…" she felt the heavy piece of plastic and hardware be placed into her hand as he enclosed her fingers around it, squeezing her hand in comfort as she looked up to meet his face as a small encouraging smile had appeared on his face, making her feel the fear want to rush up again and ravage her mind, but she kept it at bay.

"I know it's a sudden thing, but we all can wait for your answer, if you want to stay at the tower in the mean time we do have a few spare rooms." He said in a voice loud enough for the others to hear, causing a loud bang to be heard as the others turned to see Raven had put her book down as she started to leave the room, not wanting to deal with hearing about their possible teammate staying in the tower with them. She knew the others were being fooled by her, but she wasn't going to trust her as easily as the others did. The other members of the team watched their dark teammate leave the room as if she was bothered by this change of events, but she hadn't even given an answer yet, and after Raven left it felt like much more of another weight to add to her mind as she turned to look at Robin again.

"I…I'll give you an answer in the morning…I just need time to think." She replied softly, as if they day had drained her enough, she though that after the questions were asked she could leave and observe from far away and go home within a month though now that might be impossible. The remaining titans seemed to be going to their room as the night started to wind down and the food was put away in the fridge to be eaten another time, leaving Robin to take Nightingale to one of the spare rooms they had if the titans ever had guest, leading her to a grey room with a standard queen bed with sheets to match the wall as a large glass panel opened to the view of the ocean as the moon hung high in the air. When Robin left her to her own devices she fell onto the bed and curled up onto the covers, wondering if the day had actually be real or a very bad nightmare. She stared at the moon above the water as she soon sat up and stared at the communicator in her hand, feeling its weight in her hand made her feel sick…she needed air.

She opened her door slowly as she checked up and down the hallway to see if any of the titans were up, but she was met with silence as she exited the room and closing the door slowly behind as a soft click could be heard. She walked down the hall quietly making her wonder how only four people could make so much noise yet be so silent in the fleeting hours of the night as she walked to the stairs that lead down to the lobby, her mind forgetting that the scanner was on the door as she stared down at the communicator in her hand again, the weight had disappeared a bit as the salty night air filled her soul as if it was trying to calm her down from the headache that was today. She walked down from the grassy area of the small island as she heard the familiar crunch of the sand under her shoes as she walked down the beach listening to the calming waves lap against the shore as the moonlight glimmered along the slow moving ripples of the water. The nature of the world around her had almost made her feel as if she was finally calming down as she stopped near a the large rocks on the shore…that is until she realized she had to call a certain blind empath back at some point. She sighed lightly as her mind wandered back to the thoughts she had in the elevator about bringing them into her circle of secrets, sure she was able to be closer to observe them, but this brought upon the attachment to them…and if _she_ found out where she was…

Flashes entered her mind of a blonde haired girl with hazel eyes and fair skin grinning at her as she tried to make the image go away in her mind as a small headache came over her as the image soon faded into the back of her mind. No if she found out where she was everything would be ruined though there was no way that she would be able to track her down from where she was. Trying to put herself at ease as she glanced up at the tower as if she felt the feeling that she was being watched by the building itself, her decision was starting to become clear as she squeezed the communicator tightly in her grip. Joining them was the only option that seemed plausible on the table, though it made her fill with an uneasy feeling as she started to walk back to the lobby doors as she soon remembered that the doors had a hand scanner to get in…and she probably wasn't in the system yet meaning she was stuck outside which she groaned as the thought ran through her mind as she slumped down against the door as she started to feel the sudden urge of sleep come over her, but sleep would not come to her easily that night, though someone was watching her that night from the tower.

 _Earlier before Nightingale went outside_

Raven had been meditating since her small outburst towards the news of Robin wanting Nightingale to be a titan, yes it was an honorary position, but it didn't mean that she would not become a full-fledged titan in no time at all. She tried to control her anger as she heard him say those words, but she could not contain herself leading to her to drop her book loudly like a child. She kept murmuring her mantra as she floated above a circle of candles below as her eyes stayed closed…until she heard someone walk past her door. She opened her eyes to turn slightly towards her door, it was too soft to be either Beast Boy or Cyborg getting a midnight snack and Starfire was usually out at this time. Robin was out of question as well since he was probably training downstairs and was a literal night owl like her so that left only one person, Nightingale. She left her lotus position as the candles blew themselves out as she walked towards her door, pressing her ear against it to hear where she was heading and after a moment she heard her boots hit against the stairs as she started to decent down them. Raven felt an odd urge to go after her, but if it turned ugly she wouldn't have back up since she somehow knew her weaknesses, though if she was planning on leaving she had to report back to Robin if she did meaning she couldn't be trusted, sure it might have been petty, but making sure she could be trusted was something that should be proven. She waited a moment before taking a deep breath and opening her door to go after her as she descended down the stairs she had only moments ago before she reached the lobby herself, noticing the doors were locked as she rushed to one of the panels of glass to look outside from behind a curtain to see what she was up to when she noticed Nightingale strolling along the beach holding her gifted communicator in her hand, as she stopped a few times to look down at it before moving on. She finally stopped near a small cluster of rocks to stare out at the bay once more.

Raven squinted her eyes to see what she was doing and saw her stop in her tracks to look over at the ocean as if it was a sort of longing as she could see a peaceful smile appear on her face before she showed a slight amount of panic over something before it soon subsided. She observed her stand there for a good ten minutes before she started to turn back towards the lobby, meaning Raven had a small amount of time to go back to her room before being caught. As she started to move she remembered that there were two hand scanners on the door…meaning she was going to be stuck outside all night. She bit her lip lightly as she tried to resist the urge to turn and let her back in…but that would tip her off that she was being watched. She waited for another twenty minutes as she sighed loudly, hating that kindness was winning in her head as she turned to open the door with her palm as it slid open she leaned out to see that Nightingale had curled up to keep herself warm in the cold night air, it rustled her black hair gently as some of Raven's own violet hair became ruffled as well. She frowned lightly; a slight blush appeared on her face when she noticed how peaceful she looked as she made a cocoon of black tendrils around her body and keeping her head free as she placed her in one of the black chairs in the lobby, looking her over to make sure that she had some comfort before leaving. Sure Raven hated her, but at least she could show some small amount of kindness towards her…even if she didn't want to and even if only one of her own emotions betrayed her as she walked away, leaving Nightingale in the lobby alone as a small throw blanket covering in black aura floated over to her before covering her body as her last ounce of kindness before going to bed herself ready to hear the girl's answer in the morning.

* * *

 **And that my dear readers is the end of the long awaited chapter four…I know it took me a long time to get there, but it is finally done and now I can start working on chapter five. Now I introduced two new characters into this which is James and Misty, if you are wondering yes they both have powers and you can guess that Misty is the blind empath that Nightingale was talking about and James…his power will be revealed later on. They will only be talking in phone calls and maybe you will see them all at some point, but the plot does not demand it now so ha. Deal.**

 **Also i know Raven seemed very off, but you have to think her emotions are having a huge sway on her as she is unsure of how trust Nightingale let alone if she should be around the others as an ally to begin with. She wants to protect her friends and even though she does not show it a lot she does care about them in her own emotionless way.**

 **Now the chase scene was fun to write…took me a good four hours to write it all down and rewrite what I found was wrong with it and personally I listened to a lot of songs that seemed chase like and I enjoyed writing it. I know a lot of action was not scene, but there will be more I promise. I have to keep this Authors note short since its one and I need sleep for work so if you want to review you can and don't be shy. Follow or like this story if you want and PM me if you have an idea on what episode I should start with first and if it should be the next chapter. I can't wait to hear your feedback guys and I enjoy hearing you guys say you like the story. I feel great every time I see a new view on the page.**

 **As always you guys have a great time. Anri out.**


	6. Chapter Five

**Hey awesome readers it is I Anri with chapter five of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and I am proud to say that yes this is an episode chapter for you guys and it is…drum roll please…** _ **Sisters**_ **! Now I can hear some people say "But why sisters? You already included the H.I.V.E and I say screw that I am going out of order for episodes cause one I can and two again it's how I feel like doing it. I promise a normal chapter will be after this as well...maybe two of them before** _ **Nevermore**_ **so everyone is a bit more comfortable around Nightingale and well I chose this episode so she could have a closer connection to Starfire since while she was captive she was the only person to really talk to her and even though it was an hour or two of talking she really enjoyed it so getting closer to Starfire as a friend is a great start and sure the other titans seemed to be acting nice, but they still are observing her. Now I am going to be using a transcript of this so I don't mess up important lines and the settings, but I will be adding my own spin to it and defiantly Nightingale will have her input on Blackfire…oh boy does she have very negative feelings towards her, but you will learn about those feelings in the chapter.**

 **Anyways life for me is going alright I might be leaving factory work because…well its literally causing me to not be able to function right. My body is having a negative reaction to the type of job I am doing so I am staying there until I can find a job more suitable for me that will be better on my body. My hands and every part of my body has been in pain so I really just can't handle the pains in general. But aside from that life has been going a bit better for me and my boyfriend so I have high hopes for next year. Other than that I really have kinda enjoyed this year for a bit and yes of course I will try to put up more chapters it's just I have to juggle things and I will try to meet the wonderful story work and I can say that my other fanfics will have new chapters as well and the** _ **Undertale**_ **one is going to be rewritten to be a different story as well so that is an awesome thing to focus on next year and I promise I will.**

 **Anyways this chapter is about Nightingale getting used to the titans and still sending Batman information on what is going on like a good little informant that she is…of course she doesn't like doing that since she is sincere about trying to be friends with Robin again even if his team are included in that package as well. Now she and Raven will have a rocky relationship at first since neither of them trust each other as far as they can be thrown, but in all reality I have had friendships like this and I am still friends so maybe it will work out…or not it all depends on how they both approach it. I have to say that Blackfire will be on Nightingale's list of people she hates, making sure to send that across now. Another thing is how I rewatched the episode and I kinda was confused at how they even got into the club or party anyways, since it was probably an open even anyways though there are rules in place that you can be only 18 to enter a club like area, but an 18 year old I think cannot enter with minors so I was really confused at that since I guess Blackfire is eighteen…but still you know it's a cartoon so I stopped questioning is at the moment and went on watching it.**

 **So if you guys have a suggestion on what I should have as a chapter I am all for it to hear your opinions on what I should do. I like hearing feedback from you guys and I enjoy seeing people reading my stories even though sometimes I wonder what half of you guys really think about it. I know I say this at the beginning and end but please review or PM me if you have an account on here, I enjoy hearing feedback from you guys even if it's good or bad. So if you guys want you can tell me what you think about the story.**

 **Now I should stop rambling and go onto the disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the teen titans and I never will. I only own Nightingale and really her story along with the plot of this whole thing to be honest that is about it…oh wait I own my side characters too. I don't own the transcript either and I got it off of the wiki for the individual episode so there is that too and I will only really be using what they say in the episode along with the with the basic plot outline with the settings.**

 **P.s. this also might be one of my longest chapters I have ever written for any of my fanfics so…um be prepared.**

 **P.P.S I had to read a really squished transcript so if I mess up on some lines or some parts are missing…I could not read it very well.**

 **And we must move onto the chapter so enjoy what unfolds.**

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 **Chapter Five: Sisters**

"Nightingale watch your footing and focus!" it was the third time she even heard that in come out of Robin's mouth making her slightly irritated as she dodged another on coming punch from Cyborg. She had been there only a week after she told Robin she would join them and it had almost been nonstop training outside to get a feel for how they could incorporate her style into their own attack patterns, though she had to admit it wasn't as bad Batman's training from when she was younger. A small shudder went up her back as she remembered the bone breaking training she had went through to condition her body to even take a hard hit and even longer for her to learn how to dish a quality strike back. Hell even her training in acrobatics and flexibility was in itself a terrible experience…the only thing she really enjoyed boxing with the one and only Ted Grant a.k.a. Wildcat now that was a wonderful experience that helped her figure out she had a swarmer* though after she was injured she moved onto being a switch-hitter*. Of course the reason why she wasn't taking her stances right wasn't her memories of training, no her mind kept going back to the night she was thinking over either running away again or joining the Titans as she put both of her arms up to block an oncoming jab from Cyborg as her mind started to wander back to that night.

She guessed that as she was waiting for morning for someone to notice her missing she had fallen asleep against the glass near the door, but what she was bothered by the most was when she had woken up only an hour later to notice that she was back in the lobby covered in a small throw blanket as she glanced around trying to guess who had let her back into the tower. Of course she hadn't asked any of them to see who had let her in, but that wasn't her top priority at the moment as another jab was thrown her way, causing her to bob as she took a step back. Nightingale tried to focus on what she could remember from waking up, which she had when someone placed her into one of the chairs, but she had trouble trying to make out the figure which wasn't a very tall figure that was walking away from her…so that left only three options no wait two. Beast Boy would be unable to even pick her up, let alone take her to a chair so he was out instantly, leaving only Robin and Raven as the person who helped her get back in. Another jab headed her way as a gust of wind rushed through her hair causing it to get in her face slightly as she frowned a bit as her mind tried to decipher the figure that had walked away from her that night, remembering something was swishing behind them as they had walked away, but this was distracting her enough to cause Cyborg to get the upper hand in their spar and send left hook to her right side.

A loud and audible gasp came out of her mouth as she fell onto the grassy ground holding her side gingerly feeling a stinging pain travel through her whole body, if it was going to leave a large bruise there as the large titan rushed to look her over in a panic. "Oh man I'm sorry I thought you were going to block that one, that's my bad." A worried look covered his face as he helped her up slowly from the ground as he avoided placing his hand on her bruised side as he helped her straighten out. "Hey Robin I think it's time for us to st-"

"N-no I'm not done yet." She interjected as she raised her hand up to stop him from finishing his sentence as she assumed a semi-crouch stance, facing her injured side away from her opponent so he couldn't get another direct hit. Her azure eyes glowed bright with fire as she waited for him to assume his position across from her again as the wind whirled around them softly, sure she was slightly surprised that Robin didn't object to her continuing…but she had to guess he wanted to see her limits in a sense he would of course stop it before it was a serious situation. She glanced up at Robin and the others who were watching from the crest of the hill that the tower sat on, of course Beast Boy was shouting at the top of his lungs for Cyborg to win the spar…fat chance of that right? Starfire had covered her mouth from seeing Nightingale take a punch like that and still get up from it and to still be kicking. Since her joining of the titans Starfire seemed a bit attached to her and the feeling was mutual…it was like being around Misty again without the random mood swings though her eating habits were a bit weird and the inability to understand certain parts of the human language. The moderator was watching closely though she could tell that he was a bit worried about the hit she had just taken…now Raven on the other hand was engrossed in a book while the whole sparring match was going on, but Nightingale did notice her glance up a few times during the match, but that was about it. She waited for Robin to drop his raised hand as silence filled the small patch of grass they were on as the waves from the bay crashed gently against the sand below.

As soon as his hand dropped she rushed for the tallest titan as a flurry of jab were aimed at him, causing him to raise and arm to block as he slowly started to back up, though the odd part was none of her jabs even landed on their mark only missing by a few centimeters. Every time she missed it was another step for Cyborg back as he bobbed and weaved away from any oncoming attack wondering what her game was before he started to catch on. Nightingale was trying to catch him off guard as she tried to find an opening to get the upper hand on him…almost like Robin though he could guess they were both taught by the same person if they ever fought side by side it would almost be a carbon copy well almost. She seemed to carry herself differently as if she was more of a person to trip you while you were off guard and be cheeky about it afterwards while Robin wouldn't take the time to gloat over it, though it also mixed with different part of her…she didn't like to lose though Cy couldn't really argue with that logic since he was also the same way. Anytime someone got the drop on her she had to retaliate with a much more brutal way as if she had to seek revenge for it, but he also noticed the whole time through the spar session she was focused on something else. He had trouble finishing his thought processes when he felt something slam against his upper abdomen plates as he heard a low hiss come from her mouth as she pulled away shaking her hand slightly before testing it by squeezing it repeatedly to make sure it was still functioning.

Nightingale was vulnerable for a moment as she tested her hand, making sure nothing was broken as she closed her hand one more time before another low hiss came from her mouth. It felt as if she fractured one of her metacarpals…she would have to check later as she scolded herself for actually hitting him, the man was made of metal for fuck sake and yet she slipped up on her footing when she hit him in the abdomen. Her mind was clouded again as her mind again focused on who got her into the tower which was causing her to fully become distracted as he started to take jabs at her as well, making her duck and weave while stopping a couple that came to close to her face feeling a light pain travel through her ulna*. As her mind wondered images of that night flashed in her head as she tried to focus on the battle at hand as image of a cape moving away from her half opened and sleepy eyes popped up…was that an indigo colored…her eyes widened as she glanced over at Raven, wondering why the most suspicious member of the titans helped her…her train of thought derailed as she heard her name get shouted at her.

"Nightingale the duck!" she heard Star shout at her, making her slightly confused as she soon understood what she was saying it was too late. A white and grey fist slammed straight into her jaw as it soon sent her sailing through the air before she crashed down and rolled for a moment before it finally stopped her near the edge were the sand and grass met, her head felt dizzy slightly as she started to sit up as the pain from her jaw spread through to her cheek as she started to rub them slightly, hearing the sound of rushing feet coming towards her as Starfire was the first one to her side. "Friend Nightingale are you okay?!"

"I'm alright start I promise that punch just caught me by surprise…" she felt a liquid start to dribble down from her nose as she reached her finger up and wiped whatever it was away as she looked to see a red liquid on her digit as she panicked slightly as she squeezed the bridge of her nose as she leaned forwards a bit onto the grass as a few drops of blood dripped from it. "Actually…can you get me something from the freezer like an ice pack and some toilet paper please?"

The orange skinned girl soon zoomed back to the tower to get the things that was asked of her as Cy and the others finally reached her, her opponent apologizing for her nose bleed even though it wasn't his fault…she shook her head and sent him a small smile of forgiveness as he helped her stand up to see Robin giving her a scolding look before he let out a sigh with the shake of his head. Beast Boy on the other hand was the only one seeming to enjoy watching the end of the spar, complementing Cyborg on his punch.

"Dude I can't believe you hit her that hard to make her fly man." He patted Cyborg on the back as he gave him a cheeky smile as if he was ignoring the slightly injured girl in front of him. "Who knew that you had that kinda force in you?"

Cyborg gave him a slight glare as the green boy backed off, understanding he was taking it a bit far with his joke as he glanced back at Nightingale to give her a look as if he was saying not to be bothered by him as she gave him a small grin in return with a thumbs up as blood dripped down over her mouth a bit, but before she could wipe it away she felt something press against her nose as she saw Starfire holding a good amount of toilet paper in her hand as she took it from her gently as the alien girl gave her a small ice pack to press against the bridge of it. She stayed there for a moment as she tried to stop the bleeding, a bit upset at herself for making them worried over something she did…no she didn't want to think about it at the moment as she repeatedly checked to see if the blood had stopped every few minutes as she glanced over to see that Raven had disappeared causing her to roll her eyes as she tried to ignore the odd feeling in her gut as she checked one last time to see that it had turned started to go away. She sighed in relief as the others did as well before they started to go back to the tower, Nightingale followed from further away listening to them and catching Starfire glancing back at her a few times.

The others hopped into an elevator as she took the stairs to the infirmary to see what the damage was on her side since her hand only felt slightly off as she limped up the stairs a bit, though she was glad that she didn't tell them all of her injuries since she soon noticed that her left ankle was sprained from her tumble as she tried to stop herself from falling. As she limped up the stairs she scolded herself for being so careless and getting distracted, but then again yelling at herself in her head wasn't helping much. ' _Maybe I should call Teddy and see if he could give me some…_ ' she paused for a moment as her eyes glazed over remembering Teddy thought she was dead as well, he was there after all at "her" funeral. He was crying just as much as Robin was that day, he thought of her as a daughter in a sense since Batman just treated her as a protégé while he actually taught her how to fight and protect herself making him more of a father figure than Bruce. Memories flooded in her mind as tears welled up in her eyes before she shook her head trying to make them disappear from her thoughts as she wiped her eyes before moving further down the hall towards the automatic doors trying not to think about that old man as she walked into the white room feeling a its familiar coldness as she sighed. She moved towards the full length mirror she had put in there after she moved into the tower since there was no reason to have two in her room as she slid her top part of her costume up to see a large and swollen red bruise along her right side noticing the shape of his fist had imprinted on her. She gingerly touched it only to earn a stinging sensation to shoot up her side as she pressed down gently to see if anything had been broken to let out a sigh of relief that had been mixed with pained cries when she finally was satisfied knowing that nothing was hurt that bad.

She soon moved up and pressed on her cheek, not seeing the onset of a bruise showing up yet, which was a plus seeing as no one would be asking her and taking it the wrong way though it still hurt to press on it as she checked over every other part of her body that she thought might be injured only to see a few light red bruises on her lower arm from blocking. She bit her lip gently as she reached to place her hand on the injured right side, but it soon started to shake knowing that what she was going to do was not necessary she already relied on _it_ once today, so there was no need to do it again right? Her mind was screaming at her to do it again just to make it easier on her in the long run, but as she argued with herself someone else had entered the infirmary to check on Nightingale to see if she was doing alright as a familiar orange haired alien floated into the room to check on her, not understanding that she maybe should have knocked before entering to notify the only occupant, but she was on an important mission for Robin…or so he said. She watched for a moment as Nightingale checked herself over, noticing the large red mark on her side as she spoke aloud.

"Friend Nightingale are you in need of assistance?" she asked out of curiosity as Nightingale almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to grab her shirt and cover her chest, Starfire caught a glimpse something unusually white against her tan skin though before she could see it all her chest and stomach area were covered as she focused on her injured teammate's face that had changed color as a bright red hue colored through her cheeks as a panicked look masked over her face while heavy breathes escaped from her mouth.

"S-Star? When did you get in here?" she murmured nervously as she held her top close to her chest as she watched the curious alien tilt her head as if she was confused at her own question. She tried to compose herself as she felt the burning of her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I thought that you would need the assistance of helping with the patching of the wound." She replied in a slightly cheerful manor as she walked over and tried to get a better look at the bruise, but Nightingale moved quickly away from her as she tried to lift up part of the top that was covering her making the alien look up at her out of worry. "Do you not need the assistance?"

Nightingale was slightly hesitant with her reply, sure she didn't really need the help…but with how much she was hurting at the moment it was almost unavoidable as a sigh escaped from her throat. "Fine…you know how to apply a bandage wrap and attack the clips?" she earned an eager nod as she started to walk over to one of the cabinets near the beds, digging through them and bringing out a decent sized bandage wrap with two clips attached to it as she held it out to Star. "Alright just apply a decent amount of pressure with the wrap, no too much to the point in which it causes more pain."

She sat on the closes bed and felt slightly uncomfortable with the thought of having someone else look at her, but she really didn't have a choice in the matter as she lowered her top from her chest and placed it next to her on the mattress as she watched Starfire unwind the roll as she placed it carefully on her injured side, earning a sharp hiss of pain making her glance up at Nightingale, only to earn a small wave telling her to continue making her go back to wrapping it around the lower part of the bruise and making her way up as she slowly started to notice the long white discoloring from earlier that made her pause for a moment catching the attention of the injured girl as she heard her speak softly.

"That…is from the night I got injured in Gotham three years ago." She removed her mask and pointed at her right eye. "Technically I should have a scar right here but the doctor said that it's barely visible on my skin." She gave her a cheeky little smile as if she was proud of something before putting her mask back on, though she noticed that Starfire seemed a bit off as she finished wrapping her abdomen high enough to cover her bruise as she breathed in and out to see if it was too tight, but thankfully it wasn't as she stood up to slide her top back on as she started to leave as she turned to give her one last smile. "I feel as if there was something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

Starfire stood there confused for a moment as it seemed her green eyes sparked as if putting two pieces together. "Oh Robin wanted me to tell you we all are going to a place called a…carnival..?"

The black haired girl stood there for a moment as she nodded for a moment. "I'll join you guys in a second; I just need to check on something before we head out." Starfire nodded and flew out of the infirmary as Nightingale gave a small sigh of relief; though she was a bit upset she couldn't have the night to herself in her room…then again the last carnival she had been to was a year ago and it would be nice to do since she really hadn't gotten a break since she joined them. She started to stroll down to the stairs to head up to her room being careful to not put much weight on her left foot causing her to hobble up the stairs and towards her room as she heard one of the doors open further down the hall past the ops doors making her glance up for a second spotting a familiar indigo cape as she froze slightly as she took a deep breath and kept walking, Raven shouldn't be getting to her this bad, but it still made her mind freeze sometimes and being in the same space as her always put her nerves on end. She saw that Raven had turned to walk towards her, guessing that they had to meet in the ops room before leaving, but ever step that she took made the hairs on Nightingale's neck stand on edge wondering if she was going to get a glare or what, but even if she was trying to be protective of her friends then why didn't she leave her outside?

As the two brushed past each other Nightingale turned her head towards her as she bit her lip as wanted to get the cloaked girl's attention, but it didn't feel right to do it now and if she thanked her in front of the titans it would feel embarrassing and awkward to do so. She turned her head forwards and kept doing a slight hobble down the hall to her room…but she didn't feel the violet eyes watching her as she walked away. When she finally got to her room she stepped through the sliding doors and let out an exhausted breathe as she walked over to her bed, wondering if she should change and decided that it might not be worth it as there was a possibility of something happening though maybe having a nonlethal weapon on her might be a smart thing to do as she took her utility belt off to see what she might take though leaving her kukri here would be a smart thing to do, but she couldn't make herself do it. Clearing out the pockets itself was a hassle, but she noticed that she was a bit low on smoke bombs meaning she would have to message Alfred to send more as she scanned over her arsenal a bit more making a mental note to also include a grappling gun if possible since her arrows and nylon ropes go so far as she passed a small glance to the communicator still attached to it, not wanting to remove it. She scratched her head lightly as she glanced over her items and tried to calculate how many more of the silver ones she would need when she noticed a small black box with tiny metal prongs sticking out of it. She picked it up, not understanding what it was until she squeezed it causing a loud clicking sound to emanate from it as electricity traveled across the middle between the two points, making her jump a bit before she stopped as the noise and the electricity disappeared as well. She was surprised that Alfred would ever think of giving her a taser, she could only guess why…maybe if she took one of Robin's extra staffs she could tinker with it for a bit to make…she shook her head.

' _No let's not make an electric bo staff…though it would be nice and an alternative to making my arrows blunt…I'll just put in a special order for something like that Alfred won't mind._ ' she thought to herself as she started to put the taser back along with the smoke and silver bombs, leaving the purple ones in a safe place in her room as she wandered out of the door, glancing back at her sparely covered room that only held her clothes in her closet along with the book bag she got back from the alley, thankful that no one took her things. There was a small desk near the covered window where the computer sat with a new keyboard as a comfy leather chair sat in front of it with her black guitar case leaning against the wall, but nothing really felt like home. Hell she was scared to even decorate the place though she had bought a few books to pass the time if they had nothing to do except for patrols. Calmly she moved down the hall, unable to shake the feeling that something was going to happen…but she didn't know what.

 _Later down at the Carnival near the game booths_

' _So much for a relaxing evening…_ ' Nightingale thought to herself as she leaned again one of the poles holding some wires covered in flags as she glanced among the small crowds as they moved through the area, scanning them to see if someone was acting off. Ever since they entered through the gates of the carnival, her gut feeling wouldn't go away making her on edge the whole time she had been tagging along with the group she kept clicking her knife in and out of its sheath out of nervous habit as if something was going to jump out at her, though a few minutes ago Starfire had dragged Robin off to go ride on the ferris wheel so she was soon left with Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven. She was fine with it as she looked over at them to see they the bionic man and green boy were having their hand at a ring toss game as Raven leaned against an empty booth as if she wasn't enjoying herself either or maybe she was irritated that she had to hear the rings clatter against the bottles that close, but she noticed her hood had been put down at some point as he violet hair flew around as a slight breeze traveled through the air causing Nightingale to shiver as she kept her focus on the cloaked her, noting that her cloak was revealing her costume underneath making her full costume visible. It seemed to be a long sleeve leotard with some type of gold and red jeweled belt along her waist as she glanced down to see her shoes were the same indigo color as her cape as the red jewel on her cloak was more noticeable, though she wasn't sure why she never noticed it before now. She blushed lightly as she looked away, feeling awkward that she was checking her out…she blushed more as she started to shake the thought out of her head as she heard something like a terrified scream come from somewhere…then again it was a carnival everyone screams on one ride or another.

' _She hates me remember? It's…it's not something I should be doing anyways since she probably…_ ' she sighed before shaking the thought form her head as she pushed off the pole to see how the guys were doing at their game and as she drew closer it seemed that they both were working together to get something. She watched from the other side of the booth that was unoccupied and noticed that they seemed to taking the game a bit too seriously. She heard a ring bounced off the neck on one as the green boy huffed lightly as he tried to concentrate before throwing his last ring across the row upon rows of bottles before it hooped around one making a rattling noise along the way as the two boys traded high fives as Beast Boy grabbed a large chicken from the booth vendor and held it out to Raven with a wide cheeky grin.

"I told you we would get you something." He placed it into her open hands as he waited for her reply, though Raven wore a slightly disgusted face as she held the giant chicken in her hands.

"A giant chicken…I must be the luckiest girl in the world." she said with her low monotone voice as she glanced over at Nightingale, not seeing her favor her left ankle was a good sign…though she shouldn't really care either. All Robin had ever made her really do at the tower was train and go on patrols with the others, but it seems as if he was avoiding putting her with the black haired heroine. From where Raven was standing it seemed like she was on guard for some reason, there wasn't really a purpose to even be that cautious…it was a carnival after all nothing bad was going to happen.

Her thought process was interrupted as Robin landed near the group crouching to the ground causing their attention to turn towards him, making Nightingale notice his worried expression about something before changing to a slightly angered face. "Titans we have trouble."

"Where is Starfire?" Cyborg asked the question that was on everyone's mind as Robin stood up from his crouched position before answering his question, making Nightingale slightly worried by his cryptic answer.

"That's the trouble." He soon ran off, making the others follow quickly through the now large crowds of the carnival as Raven threw the giant chicken aside being the last one to follow. Pushing through the crowds felt as if they were fighting against waves as they were headed towards the pier at the end, making Nightingale worry more about the type of trouble Starfire had gotten into as she watched two silhouettes skim across the water causing the water to arch around them making her burst ahead near Cyborg and Robin who were at the helm of the group. From where they stopped they could finally see a pink craft chasing after her with long tentacles on with Star in full view as she tried to fight the craft off as it reached for her only to be stopped by one of her starbolts before maneuvering herself to fly past the pier before moving away from them giving the group time to move into attack position.

Nightingale cursed slightly as she forgot her bow and arrows as she watched the two go in a few loops around the ferris wheel before coming back towards the pier as Starfire stopped behind her five team members who were preparing themselves for a fight as Nightingale drew her kukri into a defense position as she spotted Beast Boy trying to attack first, changing into a green alligator to try and bite the craft as it skimmed above him, only to miss entirely as Raven levitated a hot dog stand from the ground trying to stop it from coming any further, but it even crashed through the cart as if it was nothing before skimming lower to the ground. Nightingale readied herself as the craft came straight for her as she tried to block it somehow with her knife, but it rammed into her knocking the wind out of her as a breathless gasp escaped from her throat as she brought her kukri up and sliced it against the glass torso only to be able to scrape the surface of it before being pushed by force out of the way. She scrambled to get back up as she ignored the pain that reverberated through her body filling her with rage as her eyes flickered purple for a moment as the anger soon subsided as she noticed Cyborg was trying to hold the thing by its tentacles, but she didn't know how much longer he could last before it escaped, though he did make a quick quip.

"Star I don't know what you did to make this thing mad, but it wouldn't hurt to apologize!" he said as his voice strained slightly as he started to get dragged a bit by the craft. Sure it would be nice if she actually did apologize…maybe a bit funny, but it seemed like the object wouldn't end its chase.

"I am…sorry?" Starfire said to it, only for it to finally break free from his grip as it went straight for her, Robin stepped in the way as he whipped out his staff to extend it to full length as he stood in a offensive stance as he was ready to swing it at the craft grew closer towards him before he cracked his weapon against the nose of the alien object causing it to veer off course and roll towards the guardrails as it crushed a small portion before tumbling down into the water below. Silence befell the group as Beast Boy changed back into his human form and walked closer to the edge where it crashed through as a loud splash could be heard as it finally hit the water, Nightingale drew her blade back into its sheath as a calm sigh escaped from her throat thinking it was finally over…but that gut feeling appeared again as she heard a low creak coming from below the pier beneath them. She tried to say something, but it was too late as the craft soon came crashing through the wood below them causing the group to react in surprise and shock at how it survived before their leader sprang into action as he vaulted onto the nose. Nightingale tumbled across the boards before stopping herself as she stood up, more than ready to end the robot herself as she noticed Robin already pulling wires out of a panel on the craft itself as she watched him jump off to the safety of the pier near Starfire's vicinity. It started to lose control as it started to climb higher and higher before it exploded along with some fireworks as if it was part of the show itself, but that wasn't something she wanted to worry about as she rushed over to Starfire along with the others.

"Whatever that thing was…it can't hurt you anymore." Robin commented, as he looked over at Starfire, but the alien girl seemed uneasy about the whole experience as she watched the rest of the cloud dissipate from the now destroyed craft, but she wasn't the only one who felt something was off, but that would have to wait for another time...fun time was over now.

 _Later when the group arrived back at the tower_

Nightingale rubbed her left shoulder lightly before stretching her arm to earn a loud pop of satisfaction as she followed behind the others as they headed up to the ops room, with Starfire leading the group as she dripped with positivity over their battle, thought was easy to see she was still a bit bothered by it. The doors to the room opened as another odd feeling came over her as she listened to Starfire start to say something that caught her off guard as she turned to look at the alien girl.

"Come friends, I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude, all six thousand verses!" she exclaimed with the excitement filling her voice, though from the looks of it the other titans seemed to not want to listen to her say all the verses as the black haired heroine gave her a gentle smile about it, but a voice that came from out of nowhere caught Nightingale off guard as she looked up to see who it was almost being overcome with déjà vu at the person she was looking at.

"I see that you haven't changed a bit." The voice said with a slightly cocky tone to it, but seemed to have an odd sense of calm to it. The speaker was female who looked almost exactly like Starfire, but her skin was a light pale color as her black clothes made her face pop against the fabric which looked just like Star's outfit. Her hair was the same color of black as her hair as her narrow eyes held a blue hue to them as the fully metal body armor could be seen on her arms and went beneath her clothes as it covered where her exposed skin would be as she leaned against the black couch casually as if she owned the place as she pushed herself off it giving the group a smirk before continuing. "When we were little I was always the one who rescued Starfire." She let out a laugh as she held her arms out in an open hug as Star let off a squeal before shooting off to her sister's arms to hug her tightly.

"Sister!" the happiness that filled Star's voice was something that Nightingale had rarely heard come out of her, as if it was genuine happiness. Sure the other times she was happy was real too…but this seemed like it was the happiest she had heard the girl be, though she was unsure about this girl, she was giving her an odd feeling as if she shouldn't be trusted…but it's not nice to judge a book by its cover right? That thought made her a bit more uneasy as she watched them hug a bit longer before she presented her sister with a gift, a large green diamond that was the same color as Star's eyes, she only caught the name of it…something Centauri before seeing Star pull her towards the group after it was tied around her neck. "You must meet my friends! I wish to introduce you to my big sister."

"Blackfire." It was a simple reply as if she was finishing Star's sentence which seemed to catch the other alien girl off guard as she started to point towards the titans. "And since Star has told me all about the titans in her transmissions let me guess." Her finger moved to Cyborg first making small talk as she shook his hand, crushing it in the process as some way of showing her strength making Nightingale seem slightly uneasy about her as she moved onto Raven pointing at the gem on her forehead for a moment commenting on she liked it and how the gem aligned with her Ajani chakra which caught Raven off guard…soon Nightingale stopped listening to her interact as she focused more on her body movements as if she was trying to pick up on something, some sort of slip that would make her doubts about trusting this girl though she didn't notice Blackfire was now standing in front of her as she spoke, catching her off guard for a moment.

"You must be the newbie Nightingale huh? From what Starfire has told me you're a bit of a handful." There was that smirk again, as if her cockiness had no bounds as she held out her hand towards the black haired heroine. She looked up and stared straight into her eyes as a large scowl covered her face as her eyes flashed purple for only a moment as this caught Blackfire's attention, making her grab her face out of surprise and looking at her eyes. "Wow are you wearing color changing contacts? I wonder how you got your hands o-?!"

Nightingale pulled away from her quickly as she took a few steps back as she glared up at the taller girl, her hands curled into fist as she tried to calm herself down. "Don't you ever touch me!" The words came out harshly as the other titans looked at her as if she had a problem with their guest, sure they might be a bit won over since she was Star's sister, but that off feeling only intensified when she placed her hands on her face, sending the feeling into over drive as she tried to make it go away as her arms crossed against her chest trying to ignore the awkward feeling she was getting now that she had made a scene about it as Blackfire moved on over to Robin, complimenting on his cape and getting a little too grabby about him, though before Nightingale could even stop her from touching him Star intervened first.

"So, beloved sister, what brings you to Earth?" Starfire asked curiously as she waited for her sister, more or less the question was a way of stopping her from getting into Robin's space, though Nightingale could feel that odd tension…wondering how close Robin and Starfire were in the first place, maybe she should ask the orange alien later about that.

"I was in the quadrant and I thought I'd see if earthlings like to party." She hopped over the couch as she spoke casually, like this was a normal thing for her to do as she relaxed against the worn leather of the couch. "Besides, I needed a rest, since I nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here." This seemed to catch the three male members of the group, leaving Raven standing alone near the counter as Nightingale stood near Starfire with a slightly worried look as she heard Blackfire continue her story about how she got here, only to be stopped by Star reminding her that the place she traveled through had been a forbidden area to even go to, making Nightingale's suspicions about her true reasons for coming here…but soon the orange haired girl was shooed off to grab her sister a soda out of the fridge making Nightingale interrupt her again before she continued her story.

"You have legs so why don't you get it your damn self instead of making your sister do it?" she stated loudly, the slight bit of anger hinted in her throat as her left arm shook lightly, making her grab it to calm her own nerves, Blackfire glanced up at her with a small smile as she waved her away as well. Raven watched as Nightingale left the room soon after making her comment, causing Starfire to watch her leave with a confused and worried expression, though she could understand why she might have some animosity towards Blackfire ordering her sister around, but her anger wasn't…Raven stopped her own train of thought as she remembered that she was treating the girl the same way she was doing to their guest making her feel less hypocritical at the moment.

 _A few days later_

Soft music played in her ears as Nightingale placed her hands behind her head to finish her daily exercise routine with a few crunches as she took a few harsh breaths as she sat up to hit her elbows on opposite knees feeling energy course through her as she kept it up for thirty minutes before stopping, pausing her music app on her phone as she sat up to take a small breather before moving onto her stretches as she felt the bones in her back pop one by one making her sigh in satisfaction before she rolled her neck around to hear the delightful popping noise fill her ears again as she realized the might need to take a shower, noticing the large sweat stain on her shirt causing her to frown lightly. Ever since Blackfire came to the tower she had been avoiding leaving her room to happen upon the alien girl, though she did leave to grab some food from the fridge to eat or even eating at different time schedules than the others. She didn't feel comfortable around her at all while her new teammates seemed to be cozying up to her just fine, sure they did that to her as well, but even Raven liked her and that was saying something. But hygiene could not be avoided as she grabbed one of her towels from a stack she had in the room with a fresh set of clothes to wear and walked out with it around her neck before heading to the girl's bathroom door as she checked to see if anyone was in there by knocking and jiggling the door handle to get no response.

She opened the door and closed it behind herself, locking it just in case someone decided to barge in on her as she started to undress. She turned the shower on and tested the water to make sure that it was scalding hot before turning it down a bit before jumping in, squealing a bit at the sudden sensation of water hitting her as her body adjusted to the change of temperature as she started to wash her hair wondering if she should probably get it cut at some point as she lathered shampoo into it before washing herself off. Her mind drifted off slightly as she tried to think of what she would be eating for breakfast as she soon washed the shampoo out of her hair as the soap drizzled off of her body as she added the conditioner before washing that out as well as she turned the knob to shut off the water. She opened the curtain and stepped out, grabbing her hanging towel to dry herself off before putting on her fresh clothes and brushing her hair and teeth as she stepped out with the slightly damp towel over her shoulders she spotted an orange haired alien walking down the hallway as if she was looking for something as she still wore her sister's gift around her neck before noticing Nightingale's presence before flying over to her quickly getting near her face.

"Oh friend Nightingale I am having the troubles locating my sister is there a possibility you can lend assistance? I have already asked the others…but they seem to not know of her whereabouts." the alien girl seemed slightly nervous asking her for help…but Nightingale couldn't say no to that face.

"Alright Star let's go see where…your sister would be." She placed her hand on the top of Star's as she patted it gently before strolling down the hall with the alien. "So who haven't you asked yet besides the others?"

"I was to ask Robin, but he is usually down at the gym doing the training." Starfire replied as she gave her a small smile as the two of them headed down to the gym itself, though Nightingale stopped her from walking any further when she spotted two shadows on the wall, one defiantly being Robin's spiky hair and the other was the only other person in the tower besides them who wasn't already busy with their own business. Nightingale gave her a quick motion to stay silent as she leaned past the arch way that entered the gym, spotting the two near each other as she could tell Star was hovering above her as they listened in on their conversation.

"That's perfect Robin," they both noticed that the shadows had gotten closer causing Starfire to gasp lightly as her sister continued talking. "Now hold me just like this and…" Blackfire lifted Robin up and threw him across the room as if he weighed nothing at all while he spinned in the air before he soon slammed down onto a rack of dumbbells, causing a horrendous noise to reverberate through the air as the dumbbells crashed to the floor as Robin started to stand up slowly as if he was in a slight daze from the attack…but then again I guess anyone would be if they took a slam like that. Blackfire seemed very amused with the results as she told him where she had learned the move from, but Nightingale noticed Star had started to enter the room, making her stay back a bit watching them and not wanting to really be seen by the other alien.

"Hello Robin…and my sister." She said softly as if she was unsure of what she was supposed to do as the both of them looked at her wondering how long she had been there. "Am I interrupting..?"

"Not at all, your sister was showing me some alien martial arts…how come you never taught me these cool moves?" he responded, earning a slightly uneasy look from the green eyed girl, though as Nightingale watched her body language it was very apparent that she didn't want to hurt him by teaching him those moves and even if she did know them maybe they were a bit harder for a human to pull off. Her sister however seemed to have a remark that made Nightingale's blood boil as her hand gripped onto the side of the archway, hearing the drywall slowly crunch under her hand as the words came out of her mouth.

"Probably because she doesn't know them, I was always the better fighter between us." Replied older sibling as if she was trying to state a fact, of course Nightingale wasn't going to have that comment go unchallenged, Starfire was a great fighter, hell she was probably better than her own sister if the two ever fought.

"Bullshit!" all three of them were caught off guard as Nightingale entered the room, her azure eyes ablaze with anger as she walked towards Blackfire, her left arm shaking with rage while her right stayed at a calm sway. "That is bullshit and you know it Blackfire." She hissed her name out with anger as she bawled up her fist towards the alien who was smirking back at her. "Starfire is a spectacular fighter and I've witnessed her get out of problems with her own way instead of relying on brawn, something you probably know nothing about!" Blackfire noticed her left eye had stared to turn half way with a shade of purple while her other eye stayed the calm azure blue as flecks of gold show through making her reach out for her face again.

"It seems like your contact is malfunct-?!" before she could finish her sentence Nightingale had knocked her hand away with a hard slap as her rage could be fully seen in her face, which shocked the black haired alien as she didn't know that this small girl had enough force to even slap her hand away causing the a frown to form on her face. "Do you have a problem with me?"

"No I have a problem with how everyone in this damn tower aside from myself has put you on a pedestal when some who has been here longer, who I mind you is a much better person than you, is left in the dust just because you think you're better than her and you are her sister for fuck sake so start acting like one instead of a damn hypocritical ass!" she grabbed Blackfire by the cloth part of her outfit near her neck as she raised her left fist into the air as she was about to crash her fist straight into her smug smiling face.

"Nightingale stop this please!" Starfire's voice rang though her ears making her stop for a moment as she glanced at herself in one of the mirrors along the wall…her eye. She glanced down at her left arm to notice a small amount of black dots started to cover her lower left arm as she let go, using her towel to quickly wrap it around it to cover anything that could have been seen and hopefully none of them saw as she ran out of the room hearing Blackfire call her a coward as she heard someone else chasing after her, Star's voice rung out again as she kept running until she got to her room as she slammed her right hand onto a pad on the inside locking it shut. She slid down against the doors as she covered her arm, seeing that the dots were dissipating slowly as she breathed heavily while her whole body shook only for the shaking to stop when she heard a gentle knock on her doors. "Friend Nightingale…are you there?"

"Y-yeah sorry about that…my temper got the best of me there I'm sorry you and Robin had to see that." She paused for a moment as she could tell Starfire was leaning against the door to listen to her making her worried that someone else was there. "Robin…didn't follow you did he?"

"No I do not think so, but…is what you said the truth? I am better than Blackfire?" there was a hint of happiness in her voice, the slight hint of sadness was enveloped in it as well since she really didn't know what was said down there was true.

"Star, no offense your sister is an asshole, um pardon my language. I know that siblings can be harsh sometimes, but no one should be as bad like her, so yes all that I said down there was true you're a better and stronger person than her." She glanced over at the long mirror in her room and noticed her eye had finally changed back to the normal azure hue before she stood up slowly, pressing her hand against the pad to unlock the sliding doors as they opened up, only for her to be greeted by a large bear hug from the orange haired girl as she seemed hesitant at first to hug back. After a few seconds though she hugged Starfire back, wondering if she really just needed some encouragement to see that she was better, as the two pulled away Nightingale gave her a small smile. "Alright now that I'm a bit calmed down how about we go out and get some movies and snacks so we can watch a movie with everyone?" the alien girl nodded in agreement as she told her to wait a moment so she could get dressed in her gear before she went out wondering if she was going to be able to try the new weapons Alfred had sent to her…even her new weapon she wanted as a custom made.

 _A little while later after the incident…_

The girls were out for all of mid-day making sure they could find enough snacks and movies that they could all watch at the tower, it was all on Nightingale's expense of course since the young alien girl didn't have a bank account, but the money was really just sitting there not being used in the first place. As the two came back to the tower, Nightingale holding all the snacks while Starfire carried the dvds into the ops center, they both noticed all the titans were there anyways sitting around doing nothing…well Raven was reading a book, so that was something. The others looked up at the both of them wearing wide grins as Nightingale had changed into her costume earlier in case they ran into trouble getting around.

"Friends! I invite you to join friend Nightingale and I in the togetherness of a stay at home movie night!" Starfire said excitedly as she tried to balance the movie stack in her hand as Nightingale placed the buckets of popcorn and candies on the counter as she continued. "We have brought you popcorn and non-cotton candies. Tell me what sort of movie shall we view?" What Nightingale wasn't prepared for was the diversity of the movie genres they all wanted to see as she spotted Star drop the movies as she was caught off guard. "Maybe a double feature…?"

"Forget the flicks kiddies! We are going out tonight!" Blackfire's voice assaulted Nightingale's ears as she glanced over toward the doors of the ops room to see the speaker…wearing Starfire's clothes? This confused her slightly as Starfire was trying to ask her own sibling why she was even wearing her clothes as almost every seemed to be interested in going to a party down at a warehouse, though Raven had to of been coxed along making Nightingale's anger flare slightly as she remembered what she had said down stairs. Everyone started to exit the room only leaving Starfire and Nightingale with Blackfire who was following after the group. "Hey sweetie, I raided your closet. Hope you don't mind me borrowing your look." She soon flew off after the others leaving the two the only option, but to follow as Nightingale heard the orange haired girl mutter something under her breath.

"Why not? You have already borrowed my friends."

 _Down at the abandoned warehouse party_

It was the dead of night as they neared the building that Blackfire talked about, a thumping dance beat could already be heard as from outside the door, but as soon as it was opened the music pierced Nightingale's ears as she covered them; the beat was already making her sick to her stomach as she glanced back to see Starfire a few feet away from the group. The multicolored lights flashed above them as they walked further into the sea of bodies as her nose was assaulted by the smell of sweat and something else hit her nose as she looked around the place, it was packed to the brim with people meaning it would be hard to keep track of everyone if they all separated. She watched as Blackfire created a good enough space for them all to move as people seemed to step aside one she said something, but another thing she noted was Raven had stopped for a moment and glanced back at her and Starfire. This caused Nightingale to look back as well to see Star getting swallowed by the crowd of people as she tried to tell them to be more polite, as she glanced back at Raven she had turned away from her own friend making the black haired heroine turn on her heels and go back to help Star through the crowds; giving anyone who stepped on either of their feet a death glare causing a few people to move a good distance away.

She already noticed a few of the titans were already dancing with Blackfire on the dance floor…Robin included in it as she spotted Raven leaning against a wall, making her do one last push through the crowd as she and Star seemed a bit out of breath from wading through the crowd when they leaned against the wall next to the cloaked titan as they watched the other members dance, Raven seem to be wearing the same look as when they were at the carnival.

"This party is pointless." Raven spoke already uninterested in the place they were at, which was a good thing. Maybe the three remaining girls could ta…but soon Raven walked off with a goth boy leaving the two girls alone together as they both sent each other a nervous smile as they listened to the music for a moment as two guys dressed in common placed clothes walked past the two, ignoring Nightingale as she watched them approach Starfire, making her slightly worried about what they would say and which one would get punched first for saying something vulgar.

"Hey hot alien girl you digging this scene?" a slightly vulgar and stupid comment it was as she glanced over at Starfire to see her flustered by the question before she answered him as his buddy leered behind him.

"I…did not know we were supposed to bring shovels." A jeering laughter came from both of them as they pointed at her, making her look down at the floor and shuffle her feet…but their laughter soon stopped as a loud noise popped through the air as she looked up to see that Nightingale had smashed her fist into the face of the guy who asked the question with a furious look on her face.

"Jerry!" his buddy rushed over to help his unconscious friend off the floor as he was about to whirl back to help his friend's shrunken ego, but he soon backed off when he saw Nightingale crack her knuckles loudly with a large malice grin on her face.

"I suggest you and your buddy Jerry leave right now before I make you have nightmares of the beating I'm about to give you for talking to my friend like that." She soon saw him turn around with his tail between his legs as he dragged his friend away as a low sigh escaped from her lips as she looked over at the surprised Starfire. "Come on…I need some air and the music is killing my head right now." She held out her hand in which Star gladly took it as they wadded through the crowd again until she spotted a broken door the led to the roof of the warehouse as the two walked up the concrete stairs as she could hear through the walls as a Kesha song started pounding through the concrete itself as she finally got to the hatch to the roof, giving it a few whacks before it opened up as they two crawled up onto the roof as the music started to fade back into low thumps before she closed the hatch behind them as they both sat down on the edge of the roof as their feet dangled against it as look out at the city lights in the distance, the cool air blowing through their hair as they sat in silence as Nightingale looked to see she was still wearing the necklace her sister had given her making her feel slightly depressed for the alien girl next to her…to have someone like that…no she knew that feeling all too well as she placed her hand on the Star's shoulder to give her and encouraging smile…and to also tell her she was not alone.

"Perhaps…I do not belong here." This comment caught Nightingale off guard as she looked over at the alien girl's face to see a dejected look as if she had lost something. She was about to tell her that she was wrong, but someone else beat her to the punch.

"Of course you don't." she looked over to the hatch to see Robin crawling up onto the roof. "You both belong down there with your friends Star…what's wrong?" it closed softly as he walked toward the two, making Nightingale feel slightly uncomfortable as she tried to get up and make and excuse to leave them both alone…but she felt Starfire grab onto the sleeve of her top, making her stay in place as she watched as Robin started walking to the other side as Star gave him a false smile…she wasn't pulling it off very well.

"Nothing is wrong, the pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable." She replied to him, trying to lie as if her life depended on it, but even Robin could pick up that she was upset about something as her face soon melted into sadness as he sat down as the other masked hero saw his concern the face of the boy wonder himself. "Everything is wrong…I am happy to see her, but Blackfire rules at the video games and she is able to share very depressing poem, and she knows the cool moves," she paused for a moment as she looked down at her shoes. "And knows when people aren't talking about shovels…" Robin raised an eye brow at the last comment as he looked over at Nightingale, who mouthed to him that she would explain it later as Star continued. "And I am nothing like her…"

Robin placed his hand on her shoulder making her look back into his masked eyes as he spoke. "No, you're not Star and I think-" but he was soon cut off by the hatch bursting open being held up by Blackfire, scaring Nightingale a bit seeing her with short pink hair wondering where on earth she even got that color as she interrupted a nice moment as the others looked at her.

Robin tried to make her go away, but she wouldn't get the hint as she grabbed him away again as Nightingale gripped the edge of the roof as she heard a quick snap, glancing down to see that she had broken a piece of the metal off the shingles as she panicked with a quick throw to a building across the way, hearing it bounce slightly against something glass…she looked over towards the letters of a building across the ways as they flickered a bit as a glare could be seen in-between one of the letters. Something was poking out of it as Nightingale noticed her and Starfire were focusing on the same thing…her eyes widened quickly as the craft that was chasing Starfire not only a few days ago was there again as it bolted straight for the alien girl as Nightingale moved into action to push her out of the way as she was rammed into by the tentacled craft as she tried to hold it back with pure will as she tried to stop it from reaching her orange skinned friend hoping that the titans below could see them.

 _Below the battle above on the dance floor_

Beast boy and Cyborg were dancing in the slightly freed up center of the dance floor as they both tried to tear it up in their own way as the green colored boy glanced up to see the skylight panels to the outside as three silhouettes danced along the roof…he squinted a bit to see the two figure were the shape of his two of this female teammates fighting, his eyes enlarged as he saw the craft from a few days ago fighting against them as they both put up a good fight, but soon Starfire was grabbed by its tentacles and dragged along the skylight as a muffled sound of Nightingale's voice screaming Star's name was covered by the noise of the music as her silhouette went after them. Beast Boy followed them until the panels ended near a wall as he turned to shout for help from the bionic man who was still dancing.

"Cy! Nightingale and Starfire are in trouble!" as Cyborg turned towards his green friend he saw him another tentacled probe grab him as it started to drag him to the door. "Whoa help!" as he tried to run and help his friend he was soon blocked by a third craft as it loomed over him as it trapped him near a wall.

Raven had been standing next to the goth boy she walked away with in a darker area of the warehouse that had a few crate piles around as she slightly started to regret the silence between them as he asked her about show tunes as she heard someone yell as the craft carrying Beast Boy past her as the goth boy ran off scared causing a sigh to escape from her lips, a small sigh that she was glad that the silence was over with as she followed after the craft as two crates levitated behind her as they surged forwards to knock Beast Boy out of its grip making him skid across the ground momentarily before getting his footing. She looked up at the skylight to spot another craft that had Starfire in its grips as another silhouette clung tight to another as it was trying to free her as a few sparks flew off of its shell as it gained altitude before it plummeted down as it crashed through the glass, causing Nightingale to go flying with it into a pile of crates below as Raven moved quickly out of the way. She was dazed for a moment as she stood up, seeing Starfire finally free as something dripped heavily from her forehead as she reached her fingers up to graze her forehead lightly as a shooting pain ruptured when a low hiss came from her mouth. She brought her hand down to see a large amount of blood had seeped onto her fingers and glove. She put her kukri away as she reached for another item in her utility belt as she watched the scenes in front of her unfold.

Cyborg threw a punch at a craft that had him cornered making it easier for him to move around as he kept trying to hit it, Beast Boy was in the clear for only a few moments as he let out a yelp while he jumped back away from the craft but transformed quickly into a tiger making a lunge for the craft causing the craft to go half way across the room with the swipe of his paw, but it stopped right under Starfire as the others quickly started to close in on her as she started to try and run away before stopping to try and take a breather. Nightingale finally pulled out what she was looking for in her belt as she rushed forwards, ignoring the blood that started to cover her right eye as she started to expand the cylindrical object to its full length as two prongs popped out of either end of the staff arching with electricity as she clicked a button near her thumb as she could feel the hum of the energy coursing through her. She twirled the staff around in her hand as she bashed it against one of the crafts trying to get it away leaving a sizable dent in its shell as she drilled the electric prong into it for good measure noticing that she was joined by Cyborg trying to help keep them away as he punched one a good distance as the second one smacked away by the first ones tentacles. Nightingale smiled as she was distracted for a second as she felt a something wrap around her waist and throw her across the room into a crate making it crack under the pressure as the third one drilled towards Cyborg making him go through a wall, anger surged through Nightingale as she got up quickly and started to charge back at the third craft, a guttural yell came from the bottom of her throat as she got a few more electrocuted jabs at the probe before it wrapped it tentacle around her again, crushing her staff against her as a electric shock traveled through her body as a blood curdling scream filled the air as it soon dropped her to the ground as she tried to get back up again, feeling her muscles fight her along the way as she used her now powered down staff to hold her up as some of her blood had dried on the right side of her face.

Robin and Blackfire were still going down the stairs and he fought to get back to the two he thought were still on the roof when Cyborg came crashing through the wall before rising and rubbing his head lightly. The boy wonder ran up to him to see what was going on as the bionic man explained that the craft from earlier had some friends and they seemed a bit mad before he ran back into the fray of battle. Robin was about to follow him when he noticed that Blackfire just stood at the top of the stairs as if it wasn't her problem.

"Didn't you hear him? Your sister needs help!" he yelled at her seeing her pause for a moment before giving him a smile.

"Right of course." She took the pink wig off of her head as she rushed down the stairs to get to the alley way to save her sister. Nightingale ignored the screaming of her muscles as she tried to hobble outside as the others rushed to follow the crafts as well through the hole Starfire had made to get out, wanting to make sure the machines never got ahold of her. She looked around the alley wondering where could be hiding as she heard her muffled scream come from a dumpster that was being carried by one of the three crafts as the other two seemed to be waiting.

"Starfire hang on!" she yelled, hoping that the alien girl could hear her as she tried to run forwards to try and hurl her staff at the robots, but her legs gave out as she crumpled to the ground as the feeling of helplessness creeped up her back as low voices kept telling her that she was failing, that she couldn't do it, making her cover her ears just to make it stop as she heard the familiar sound of a birdarangs flying through the air as she looked up to see it sever the limbs that were holding the dumpster up in the air. Nightingale gritted her teeth as she pushed herself off of the ground feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body as she picked up her staff, ready to charge in with the other titans to defend their friend…but before any of them made a move Blackfire was headed straight for the three probes who noticed her presence and went after her. Her eyes started to glow purple as the same type of energy bolts that Star made formed into her hands as she destroyed all the crafts in only a few shots making their parts rain down in the alley way as the others watched in astonishment while Nightingale ignored it as she used her energy to walk over to the dumpster and tap on the lid carefully as she heard the others behind her congratulating Blackfire on her on defeating them all. Starfire has started to open the lid herself as her only teammate pushed it the rest of the way with her staff as she gave her a small smile of encouragement…but both soon stopped in their tracks as they heard Cyborg say something neither of them wanted to hear.

"Maybe you ought to join the team."

"Me? A Teen Titan?" a gasp came from Starfire's mouth as Nightingale turned her head quickly to look at the group around her, wondering if they were out of their damn minds as she soon sighed, holding her hand out to help Starfire out of the dumpster, noticing a banana peel had landed on her head as she reached up to take it off, seeing the alien girl's face filled with a mixture of sadness and something else as she squeezed her arm gently trying to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Come on Star lets go home." She said as her voice carried an air of exhaustion as she tried to walk forwards only to be nearly brought to her knees as the last amount of energy she had started to leave her as she held herself up by leaning against her staff as she smiled at Star trying to show her that she was fine as the alien girl flew up a bit and held her hand out to carry the black haired heroine who obliged fully to it as she soon felt her feet be lifted off the ground as the two went back to the tower without the others, silence befalling them both the whole way as they thought of different agendas on their minds.

 _Later on in the night after the incident_

The masked heroine stood in front of Star's room as she shuffled her feet lightly, trying to get the nerve to knock and ask if everything was alright as she raised her fist to the door before lowering it again. It was the dead of night as she wondered if it was right to even wake her up at this moment fearing that she might wake her up, but she knew that ever since the others had gotten back she had been hiding away from them and sure she was too…she sighed in frustration as she raised her hand to knock on the doors finally fed up with her own stalling as she knocked loud enough for anyone to hear. She waited a bit longer before she placed her hand over the pad to open it, feeling slightly bad that she was invading her space, but she had no other choice. Her room was dark making her squint her eyes trying to see at least some sign that someone was in the room…but it was silent as she walked in feeling like something wasn't right as she walked over to Star's bed to see someone was in it as she reached forward.

"Star? Are you okay, if you want to talk I'm here and…um sorry for barging in like that I-?!" she stopped as she felt her hand press against something squishy as she yanked the blanket off to see a mass of pillows and stuffed animals underneath as she started to throw them to see if Starfire was underneath them, but there was no one. Panic stared to set in as she rushed out of the room wondering where the cheerful alien girl could have gone as she rushed pass the other titans rooms before back tracking for a second, stopping herself in front of Raven's room as she hesitated before knocking loudly like she did earlier. "Raven wake up please I need your help!"

The doors to her room opened only a sliver as she was greeted by a violet eye as it glared at her from the opening. "What do you want? It's the dead of night, so whatever it is it can wait until-." She couldn't finish her sentence as the face that Nightingale was wearing was full of panic and worry, her chest tighten for a moment before the odd spasm disappeared as she opened the door more as she was curious about what she needed as the azure eyed girl grabbed her hand as she tried to pull her out of the room to have her follow as a shock went through both of the girls bodies making the pull away quickly from each other as more images flashed in Raven's mind before they blinked away again, like the last time when she had to help her up from the floor that one time making her eyes narrow a bit.

"I-I'm sorry about that I just need your help I need to find Starfire, I was going to check on her because I was worried since we got back from the warehouse and…" she took a deep breath as she tried to continue her sentence as she noticed her doors were fully opened as Raven stood before her with her hood down, making her wonder why it was even down anyways as it was distracting her slight as a small blush appeared on her face. "Look I know you don't like me, but I need your help in finding her I can't look by myself, so please can you put aside your hate towards me so we can-." Her communicator stared beeping lightly as she reached down onto her belt to flip open the T cover as it revealed an alert message flashing at her as it started sharing coordinates on the built in tracker on it revealing Robin's location as well as Starfire's as they moved quickly across the graphed landscape. The two girls looked up at each other understanding that they needed to go help them if needed help as they both rushed off towards the area they were heading making their understanding clear as she heard the last two titans follow after them as they received their own notifications…but where was Blackfire?

It didn't take the rest of the titans long to come upon a wreckage of a flying craft as smoke plumed and covered the area as Nightingale ran to the front of the group, worried that Starfire or even Robin was hurt in the crash as relief soon washed over her as Beast Boy noticed them land near the area as if they were prepared to fight something, making Nightingale pulled out her new staff as she charged it with electricity at the ends, waiting for whatever was going to come out of the smoke, though she didn't have to wait long as a hulking figure started to walk out towards them revealing a shiny coat of red upon its metal like body with get in the abdomen center that reminded her of a crab like human while another one followed after it. She couldn't really tell by its face if it was angry at them or not, but it defiantly didn't seem friendly as she got in front of Starfire as the others were ready for a fight.

"In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire, you all are under arrest." The metallic voice clung in the air as they all looked on as he pulled out a badge to show them that they were, causing everyone to be stunned for a moment with only Beast Boy opening his mouth.

"Uh…you can't be the good guys, were the good guys." The green boy commented as a matter of face as Nightingale powered down her staff for a moment.

"You took the words right out of my mouth Beast Boy." Nightingale stated calmly as she lowered her weapon more, wondering what they were even doing on earth as the name of the empire they were from sounded familiar as she looked back towards the Centauri officers.

"And we are the Centauri police." Commented one of the crab men, as the other walked closer to the group as he pointed towards Starfire.

"The Tamaranean girl is a liar and a thief. She has committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system." The more they started talking the more Nightingale tried to remember where she heard that name before as it started to click together in her mind as she heard Starfire defend herself from them as she looked at the necklace around her neck…the damn green gem that her sister had given her was called that. She gripped her weapon tightly as she tried to look around wondering where the black haired Tamaranean had gone to as Robin explained to them that they had the wrong alien as he tossed the gem towards them as he turned to the others.

"Where is Blackfire?" his voice sounded stern as he was quickly answered by Beast Boy as he pointed up towards a black figure in the sky as it was flying away from the scene. He looked over at Starfire as he placed a hand on her shoulder as Nightingale noticed her change in demeanor as she watched her sister fly away. "Don't worry Star; she won't get away with this."

"No she will not!" Starfire's face filled with a fury that no one had ever seen before in the alien girl as she shot off toward her sister at lightning fast speed as she was starting to catch up to her. The Centauri police men started to try and get their ship back up as Nightingale watched the figures dance around in the air as Starfire fought at almost the same pace as her own sister, she soon heard the hum of the alien craft as it lifted up off the ground to capture the right girl this time as the fight of green and purple energy clashed in the sky before being stopped by the officers as they grabbed what she could guess was Blackfire, making a small smirk appear on her face as she put her weapon away as they titans started to go home and try to get some sleep from the events from that night as the sun started to rise as they even got close to their rooms, making Nightingale stop for a moment as she looked back to see Raven start to disappear into her room.

She was hesitant to actually say thank you to the girl, but she had to get over this fear so maybe at least the two could have somewhat of a decent friendship. she paused for a moment before she cleared her throat to get her attention, causing the cloaked girl to stop and turn towards her, her face staying neutral as her eyes seemed to show a small amount of annoyance as a hint of that fear from earlier risen up from her chest before she shook it off. "Um…Raven I want to say…Thank you for everything. For listening to me when I asked you to help find Star and…for letting me back into the tower that one night." She smiled sincerely towards her as a genuine thank you, only to have the cloaked girl rush into her room and shut the sliding doors closed as Nightingale seemed confused a bit before she sighed lightly, feeling the weight on her chest lighten as she walked to her room with a skip in her step.

Raven leaned against her closed doors as she clutched her chest lightly, breathing heavily as she slid down the doors until she felt the carpet underneath her as her grey cheeks were flushed as she tried to figure out what the feeling was that filled her chest at the moment. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before as it soon started to subside a bit as she tried to calm herself down and to try not to think about the azure eyes heroine for once as she got up slowly to walk towards her bed, maybe some sleep would at least get her out of her mind as another flash of her smile filled her mind making her groan lightly as she fell onto her bed and buried her face into the covers…this maybe was turning into a quick no as she started to slowly lull to sleep, as a small smile crept onto her face.

* * *

 **AND THAT IS THE END OF CHAPTER FIVE HOLY SHIT THAT WAS LONG…sorry I was a bit excited when I was done writing this. It ended up being about um…21 to 22 pages long in word. Yeah I really wanted to try and see how everyone would think about me doing episode chapters as I really want to incorporate them into this story. But seriously this was a long fucking write if I say so myself, though I am very proud of myself right now I can't believe this is my longest chapter ever…like I am not joking.**

 **Starfire and Nightingale almost acted like sisters in this episode to be honest and wow I don't even have that kind of relationship with my own sister…um she wasn't my biggest supporter when I was growing up. Also what is up with her eyes and the black dots huh? Well I won't be telling you and you will have to wait a long while until I reveal what she really is…though she still is human. That much is all I can really tell you guys right now I don't want to spoil plot elements. Anyways I really hope you guys like this chapter and I apologize for it being so long, there was just so much I had to put down and well this is the result lol. But anyways thank you all for being so patient and waiting for me to get out of my writers funk from the last chapter, the next chapter will be a normal written chapter as after that I plan on tackling** _ **Nevermore**_ **oh boy I cannot wait for that one.**

 **Also when I watched this episode as a child I was very confused at why they put Blackfire higher above their own teammate who was the better person in the long run. Starfire is so much better than her sister that it kinda makes me sad that the others really didn't pick up on it until it was almost too late.**

 **Ahem anyways still thank you guys and please review or PM me about what you think about this chapter. Anri out!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Hey, guys, it's me again with another chapter…this is a normal one chapter and not an episode one like last time, no that will be chapter Seven with** _ **Nevermore**_ **and I seriously can't wait to do that one, but first, it's this chapter. Now I really tried to think of what I should do for this chapter and I decided on doing a song chapter…but different this time. I actually use the song as a basis for a theme of this episode, since I'd have to figure out where I would fit the song in any way, so I just decided to do this instead. I know it seems a bit lazy and I am sorry for that. If you want to listen to the song it is called** _ **Partners in Crime**_ **by** _ **Set It Off**_ **and I suggest listening to it if you want to for this chapter while you are reading or not that is up to you.**

 **Also in the last chapter, I did mention that I was planning on keeping Starfire and Nightingale's friendship as more of like a sister kind of thing since she seems to support the alien girl no matter what and I plan on keeping it that way. Now I really did somewhat enjoy doing the episode chapter and there will be more…it's just they will be a bit taxing on me to the point in which my own brain doesn't want to shut off then I stay awake all night…lol it's a terrible feeling I assure you. Now the episodes after** _ **Nevermore**_ **will be** _ **Switched**_ **,** _ **Mad Mod**_ **and then the** _ **Apprentice parts 1**_ **and** _ **2**_ **for now since I am only focusing on season one right now and a big reveal will happen that might make you look at Nightingale differently before I head into season two episodes and so on. I will enjoy delving further into her story and who she truly is, but I really hope that you guys enjoy it too. I mean I actually have everything planned out I just get excited in thinking of what you guys will think of all the reveals I will be doing.**

 **Still working at my factory job at the moment, but I am putting in my application almost anywhere I can right now, though the place will be closing down for cleaning until the 3** **rd** **so I might be able to put out more chapters until next year! Maybe…um if I don't get hit by writer's block then I will be able to…believe in me, please. It really sucks when that happens so please have patience with me as well if I just start putting up Authors notes or updates because I want you guys to be notified of what is going on. I know that most of you won't care, but I'm kinda happy knowing that some of you actually do. Anyways the small snip-it of the chapter I will explain to you now is the Titans are trying to stop a robbery as two super-powered teens escape from their clutches meaning that they are going to be on high alert while looking for them…meanwhile, Nightingale is more curious about one of the teens' actions during the fight.**

 **But that is all I can give you at the moment so please read on my wonderful readers and enjoy this…I guess filler chapter? I mean I really don't know what to call it actually. So it's what you guys want it to be, whether it be filler or just a normal chapter, it's all up to whoever is reading it. Oh and I might have a Christmas chapter maybe I still haven't decided on it yet, but if anyone would enjoy that one I would like to hear it from you guys. Um…so I guess it is the disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans and I will never be able to get my hands on them. They are owned by their respective companies and I only own Nightingale and the story plot.**

 **Also um…kinda a warning I am delving into abusive relationships and drug use, it's not a fun subject and I know some people will be bothered by it and I apologize for it…I've known too many people in relationships that suffered from either a male or female partner abusing them physically or mentally…family and friends count into that too. Abuse in a relationship shouldn't exist, if you love that person don't ever think of raising a hand at them out of anger, because if you do then that is not love. That will never be labeled as a sign of love and if someone ever tells me that it is I will personally rip your logic to shreds and repeatedly scuff it into the ground. No one and I mean no one needs to be treated as an object to be thrown around and beaten because they don't agree with you, if you never have different opinions then what kinda relationship is that?**

 **Um…sorry I have to stop myself or I'll go on a tangent about this topic….**

 **Anyways let's get it on!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Partners in Crime**

It had been a quiet morning at Titans tower, making Nightingale suspicious of the quiet as she was putting her costume on for the possibility of being put on patrol today or would she get the opportunity to send Batman another update, maybe she would be able to test her new grappling hook from Alfred, either was possible to happen though her stomach rumbled angrily telling her that food was required to even make her function as she rubbed it gently while walking out of her room to head towards the kitchen in the ops room as she tried to think of what she could make for breakfast since her food items she was planning on making were very limited since they had such a small fridge that usually had old food in it or a few slices of pizzas placed in ziploc bags to keep them fresh for another time…that really was her only option since she personally didn't feel like going across town to get a bagel…even if said bagel was delicious she really couldn't think Starfire would forgive her if she went without her. She smiled lightly as she remembered the first time Star had cream cheese, she wouldn't stop wanting it and almost broke Nightingale's wallet in the process as she walked through the entrance of ops center seeing it was empty which was a big surprise to her, making her check her phone to see if the time was right, most of the Titans would have been up by now or out of their rooms…so maybe it might be a peaceful morning for once.

She looked over to the island to spot one more bagel bag was left from her little shopping spree with Starfire, silently she thanked whatever God was watching her right now for thinking of her hungry stomach, as she quickly grabbed a small clean plate as she reached into the brown bag to grab the round goodness to only see that it was half of one…this didn't deter her though it just made her breakfast light. Placing it down on the plate she went to the tiny fridge to see one lone block of cream cheese in its shiny and glorious wrapper as she pulled it out placing it on the island as well, grabbing a knife along the way as she noticed the doors slide open from the corner of her eye to spot a familiar figure walking down the small incline to sit down at the table across the room carrying a brown book in her hands, opening it as she sat down as her hood stayed up like normal as violet eyes avoided her own azure ones as silence filled the air while the doors closed.

Ever since the night that she thanked Raven for helping her back into the tower the violet-haired titan was avoiding her at all cost, though sometimes she would catch her glancing at her before looking away, it was apparent that something was up. Her stomach growled at her again making a large blush appear on her face as she looked down at her food before spreading a decent helping of cream cheese on it before placing it back into the fridge guessing that Starfire would eat the rest with some weird concoction. She looked up at Raven to see that her book was fully hiding her face making her feel slightly uncomfortable as she soon turned herself around to face the walls holding her plate in her hands. She lifted the bagel up slowly and was about to take a bite when a loud alarm blared in her ears causing her to jumps slightly out of surprise as her plate went crashing to the ground along with her bagel, she winced slightly as she heard the dish break on impact and the sound of the bagel landing cheese first onto the ground was enough for her appetite to disappear as a loud and frustrated yell came out of her mouth, she didn't notice that the other titans had rushed into the room, giving her a combination of confused and curious looks.

"Sorry to interrupt leisure time, but we have trouble down at the Jump City Bank," Robin said as he pointed to the monitor to see two teenagers robbing the bank, they weren't wearing masks so they would be easy to spot if they weren't caught, but something seemed off about them both, but Nightingale couldn't put her finger on it. She tried to watch their body languages while missing Robin pairing everyone up with different members they would be going with before he snapped her back to reality. "Nightingale pay attention!"

"Oh sorry I…um who am I going with again?" she watched as he pointed over to the hooded magic user causing her to panic slightly. "Wait Robin, I really don't think that is a good idea I haven't trained with her…" but soon everyone had left the room as they were rushing off to get to the bank to stop the crime in process, leaving the two girls alone as the silence hung over them again before she rushed out of the room to see if the violet-haired girl would follow. After a few moments she glanced to her side to see that she was levitating herself to keep up as she held up her hand as it glowed with its usual black aura making her wonder what she was doing when she felt her whole body run into something cold for only a split second before feeling the warmth of the outside air around her, making her skid to a stop to turn and see a portal that was opened against the wall as the magic caster herself came through as well. Another cold shiver came up her back as she ran out into the oddly cleared sidewalk to see that the bank was across the street noting that maybe a frontal assault without the other titans was a stupid idea as she finally spotted the others on the left side of the building waiting for them as Raven walked forward towards them.

Nightingale followed after her as she pulled her staff out and collapsed it to full length as she felt slightly upset for not using her bow in the longest time, but now she had to focus, this wasn't time to joke around as she didn't charge up the prongs on the end as they popped out. Raven had made another portal on the side of the building as the others went in single filed before it came to her as she stepped through slowly to only feel a brief sensation of cold before hearing the hum of an air conditioner running as someone was casually talking to the people that were huddled in a circle near the center as two teens could be seen standing and moving around with three or four small duffle bags. She moved along with the others as she hid behind a column pressing her back against the cold and smooth marble as she peeked around to see if she could get a look at the teens as she noted there seemed to be the one female and one male in charge of the robbery. The lone female of the two was pacing back and forth as she tried to not look at the hostages that they had in the center of the room, her green dyed hair seemed to be running out of color as her visible pale skin was covered with a dash of freckles as her grey eyes darted around the room, she didn't seem to have a weapon on her, her clothes were all black from the beanie on her head to the shoes on her feet. The male had finally stopped moving giving her the advantage to look at him better, his body type made her a bit confused seeing he was very lanky and tall with almost a decent sized muscle mass under his black shirt and jeans, but he seemed so casual about it all. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black as he wore a cocky smirk as he twirled a dark-colored Glock 26 in his hand…her eyes widened at the thought of him using it on the people in this room or even her teammates for that matter.

"Robin," she hissed loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to catch the robbers' attention. "He has a gun we need to stop this now before it gets out of hand." She noticed him shake his head and make a hold sign in the air as the other titans watched what he was going to do, though they all seemed to share her worry. She gripped her staff tightly as she fought the urge to rush out there, something her former self would do, just to knock the gun out of his hand so the hostages could run as she could hear the faint sound of the slide click loudly as it cocked a bullet into the chamber as the hostages started to panic, making Nightingale grit her teeth as she finally couldn't take it anymore as she rushed out from behind her column hearing Robin and the others trying to hold themselves back as she spun her staff to knock his gun out of his grasp, making it slide across the room as both assailants were surprised that she was even there as she charged up her staff at one end. The male gave her a malice filled grin as he reached for something in his back pocket making Nightingale move her staff forwards to try and zap him unconscious, but the girl soon was in her way as it shocked her…though it didn't affect her at all as the electricity seemed to be absorbed by the female as the crackling sound soon started to bounce off the walls making her look the girl straight in her grey eyes as a sense of fear rolled off of her…like she was unsure of what she was doing as she felt a wave of electric energy shoot her back into one of the columns as the sickening sound of her back hitting the wall echoed for a moment as she heard the others finally rush out to attack as she landed on her feet, hissing slightly at the pain she was feeling reverberate through her as she tried to shake it off.

She could see that the others weren't fairing very well since the element of surprise was ruined. The male ran to his gun as the girl tried to fend off each Titan as they threw themselves at her, only able to knock Cyborg and Robin a good few feet away from her, but the two female titans and green ball of energy were able to ignore her attacks, but the more she analyzed it she noticed that the girl was panicking, worrying about something that wasn't apparent as the male started shooting it off, Raven tried to react quickly as she blocked a few with her own shield, but two ricocheted off and buried themselves into separate columns. Nightingale checked to see the charge on her staff; it appeared to be half drained before she ran back into the fray as the hostages were running out of the doors making it before he could even get a shot off at them. She rushed at the male again to try and slam his hand holding the gun, but he heard her coming as he soon trained the weapon at her, making her stop in the center of the building only a mere few feet away from the small barrel pointed at her.

"Not such a hotshot now having the gun pointed at your face huh?" a slow chuckle escaped from his throat as she could feel the coldness of it shiver down her spine as she tried to think of a way out of it. "Trust me when my partner and I leave this place and I see your face plastered on the obituary page covering half the page I'll be laughing my ass off while you roll around in your f-?!" the sparks from the electricity coming from the girl's arms had started to float towards the polyester bags that were holding the money as a spark from a birdarang hitting the marble soon caused a small fire to start burning the cash inside the sealed containers from the outside. The girl's panicked voice rang through the air as the sprinklers started to kick on, though the fury on the male's face was enough to make Nightingale want to beat him to a bloody mess.

"JD I-I'm sorry about the money, but we need to leave now, w-we're outnumbered!" her panicked voice echoed among the water falling from the sprinklers and hitting the marble floor. The male, now known as JD, turned to look at her with a face full of rage causing the girl to flinch as if she was used to…Nightingale gripped onto her staff tightly, taking a few steps closer as she whipped it around quickly to smack him with a strike to the back of the head, but that only seemed to cause him to get angrier as he a whipped his head back around, his dark eyes almost an endless void as she heard the shot go off as her ears started to ring as she waited for the impact of the bullet…but it only grazed her right shoulder enough to warrant a surprised expression as she dropped her staff to try and stop the bleeding with pressure noticing the black barrier around her, out of the corner of her eyes she saw JD reach for something in his pocket…a thin vial filled with something green as he popped the cork to down the whole thing as his body started to shiver and shake. Her eyes widened at the sight of him growing in size as his normally skinny arms were soon bulked up with muscles that would make even a bodybuilder piss himself, this soon made her realize that what he had taken was something she and Robin had seen before…but how did that get all the way across the country?

The girl seemed to notice this transformation as well, she soon shot off towards his side as he was getting himself ready to crash through one of the walls as he only took a few steps before sprinting forwards and slamming into the mixture of brick and concrete as he slammed his way through making rubble fill the air covering it in a haze as they made their escape, the Titans soon followed after them. when they hurried to the gaping hole in the building they couldn't see hide nor hair of the two robbers making a few members confused at where they could have gone as Nightingale stood there with her costume soaked to the bone as the water continued to fall for a few more moments as the barrier around her disappeared until she felt a hand grab her by the collar to make her look at them, causing a low and inaudible hiss of pain to escape from her throat. Robin was glaring at her from behind his mask as his face tried to hide the small amount of anger towards her as she stared back at him, her face hiding her emotions like a stone wall as he spoke.

"I told you to wait for my signal Nightingale! With that stunt you pulled I surprised that none of the hostages were hurt in that mess let alone anyone else on the team!" he shouted angrily at her as it seemed like he was trying to hold it back, but her face still stayed with the same stone-like expression. Starfire watched with worry at what was going on before her as the other titans seemed to share her concern as well, but Raven was the first to notice her shoulder being held gingerly by her hand as droplets of blood mixed with a small puddle underneath her as their leader continued. "Any of us could have been killed today Nightingale I swear you say that you've changed from that cocky girl I knew a long time ago, but it seems like things haven't changed."

"Shut up! I am not a child anymore damn it!" Nightingale yelled as she gritted her teeth and pushed him away with her injured arm with enough force to push him back a few feet, earning her a shot of pain to travel through to her fingers as specks of blood flickered onto the floor as she removed her left hand from the wound, her fabric had been cut by the thread as a gasp came from Starfire's mouth as she rushed over to ask if Nightingale needed help, but the look she was given by the wounded party herself made her bones shiver as she stopped in her tracks as she soon looked back at Robin. "Just…shut up Boy Blunder…I don't need to hear it from you, I heard it enough for the past three years, I'm done hearing it now." she picked up her staff and collapsed it into a pouch on her belt as she started to walk past him only for him to grab her wrist to try and stop her.

"Where are you going? You're seriously thinking about going after them on your own?" his anger had soon changed to concern as he finally spotted the wound on her shoulder, but she soon tugged her left arm away from him sharply as she turned to look at him, her eyes having an ominous purple hue to them, he blinked and soon noticed the color had disappeared making him wonder where that had come from as he continued. "Nightingale you are injured at least have R-."

She turned on her heels again and kept walking to the hole, but soon even that turned into a full sprint as she could hear Starfire and Robin trying to call her back as she pushed through the other Titans as they tried to stop her, only to have Beast Boy and Cyborg slip on the wet floors below them as she made her escape. Robin rushed after her only caught a glimpse of her escaping into the semi-crowded streets of Jump City, he looked over at other Titans to see their worry as well, but he was more concerned about the liquid that the robber JD had ingested as he found the vial on the floor to only see a small droplet of the liquid left. He knew what this liquid was…but he had to be sure with a test at the tower, though that only left tracking down Nightingale before she would be harmed again…or even worse.

"Raven I want you to see if you can bring her communicator's GPS and track her down. Ghost her if you have to just keep track of her movements until we can figure out where the robbers will hit next. Try to keep us updated if possible and if you run into trouble call for back up." The cloaked heroine nodded as she took out her own communicator to pull up the GPS function as she pressed on the red dot that was further away from the cluster as a focus point before she turned to see Robin and the others leaving though Starfire wanted to help find Nightingale she had to listen to her leader…no matter how much she wanted not to as she glanced back to see Raven had already masked herself in a raven like shadow before flying into the air.

 _A few hours of running around the city later_

Nightingale had been looking everywhere for a trace of where the two would be robbers could have gone, even drawing sketched of the two only to get a few small leads as she sat under a barely shady tree in the park trying to catch a breath as she heard what Robin said to her fill her mind again, but another voice rang in her head as well as the gruff voice of the dark knight himself echo along with his former sidekick. The voices would pick up every time she would stop to rest, making her quickly get up to try and escape them by searching again…but she could only run so much before she felt dizziness befall her. The gaze she received from the bullet was having trouble clotting from the wound reopening every time she moved her arm causing her to ruin the sleeve to make a bandage for it…but even it was still damp to the touch with blood every time she checked, making her check again only to still feel it as she wiped the blood off with the grass underneath her. The voices started to calm down as she looked around the park, noticing vendor rolling his cart around in the semi-hot weather as people were relaxing in the midday, making her get up from her spot as she casually walked over to the cart wondering what the man was selling, though she also made sure that her hands weren't bloody and that she wasn't a total mess.

The man had a thick accent to which she couldn't really place where it was from as he explained that he was selling sea salt ice cream, though only a few people had even bought some from him, but she was slightly interested in what the flavor would taste like as she fished out some money from her belt to find out for herself. He seemed to perk up after she bought one, holding the popsicle shaped ice cream to her as she tore off the wrapper, revealing a light blue colored frozen goodness as her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten this morning as she took a small bite of it. The taste was a mixture of salty, yet sweet at the same time as it danced across her tongue and down her throat making her eat more, though she wondered if it could top plum ice cream as she reached for her pictures of the robbers with the popsicle hanging out of her mouth dribbling blue liquid on the ground as he took them slightly confused as she took the glorious food out of her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry sir I know it's a stretch, but have you seen either of these two around these parts?" she was waiting for him to say no, but he pointed down the way towards a familiar faded green colored hair bobbing down the sidewalk, excitement filled her eyes as she started to rush off after her dropping her half-eaten ice cream on the ground, only to hear him yell that she forgot her change, but she ignored him. If she could get the girl to tell her where the other one was maybe she could actually arrest them and…she slowed down for a moment as Robin's words ran through her head again only to be shaken off, fighting them wasn't her priority as she was more worried about the girl than getting hurt. Nightingale knew the risk of going alone herself, but she knew that she could handle it, keeping a good distance she noticed the girl was aware she was being watched as she carried her own sea salt ice cream in her hand as she kept glancing over her shoulder making the masked heroine duck behind a few alleys until she noticed her stop in front of a building that was being built as the scaffolding was reaching towards the sky. It was time for her to make her move as she reached out and grabbed her shoulder, causing the girl to jump, letting out a small shriek as she turned towards her revealing a bright red bruise around her left eye.

"Wait don't try and attack I'm not going to hurt you." She spoke calmly, hoping that the girl wouldn't run as she watched her shoulders become less tense. "I just want to…" she looked at her eye to finally notice the bruise there as she felt a peg of pain jab he in the heart as she felt sorry for the girl, though she soon glanced down at her wrists to spot a few fresh bruises there.

"W-What do you want with me?" her voice came out small like she was trying to act tougher than she was as her body shook in fear of the person in front of her. "JD will be mad if I don't get back and I…" she felt a hand on her own as she felt a slight squeeze making her look up at the hero in front of her.

"Does…he always get mad like that?" Nightingale could see that the question caught her off guard as she tried to cover her eye for a moment as if she pretended as if it didn't exist. "I'm sorry, um how about I start with something easier to answer, what is your name?"

"Wendy…my name is Wendy." Her voice came out as quiet as a mouse again as she looked up at Nightingale, her only visible eye welling up with tears. "A-and JD can be n-nice sometimes…it's just he had a bad day today and…"

"It doesn't give him the excuse to hurt you, even if he is hopped up on a high like venom...though I am curious at where that came from personally…" The word venom left a sour taste in her mouth as she remembered hearing the story from Alfred about what a supervillain named Bane did to Batman while having the green liquid pumped into his system, snapping the back of the bat was the highlight of the villain's career leaving Gotham in ruin until he recovered. She sat down near a tall wooden fence as she patted a space for her to sit, only to earn a hesitant look before Wendy sat next to her. "Alright, I want you to start from the beginning and tell me as much as you can…starting with how you met JD and to where he got his hands on that stuff. Um since you gave me your name I'll give you mine, I'm Nightingale."

 _Meanwhile at the tower_

Starfire had been pacing back and forth in the ops room as she was starting to make a dent in the red carpet leading to the semi-circle couch where Cyborg and Beast Boy were trying to relax while they waited for Robin to come back with the results of the liquid from the bank, though he said it might be tough to even identify it because of the water that might have mixed into it. They all were waiting with baited breaths as they were anxious about what Nightingale was doing since Raven had stopped replying to their responses to her reports of where she was going. None of them wanted to fear the worst for the both of them, but it was hard not to since the last report they had gotten was that she was in the park resting before there was a quick response that she was on the move again like she was chasing after someone. The ops doors slid open making the others turn to see Robin reading the results of the test with a furrowed brow as he walked past Starfire to the couch.

"Robin? Were your test successful?" the orange alien asked curiously, but she only got a quick shake for no as he sat down on the couch, making her hopes sink slightly. If they didn't know what the substance was that made the boy strong…then how were they ever able to defeat him when the time came. Beast Boy tried to keep everything light as he tried to make a joke, but it seemed like nothing would be able to cheer his friends up…they just had to wait until they got a signal from Raven again and hope that it wasn't going to be bad news. Ever since they had gotten back to the tower Robin had been feeling the guilt of reminding her that she was at some point a failure in her own eyes, not even noticing her wound at first made him feel worse as she ran his gloved fingers through his gelled hair as he looked up at the tracker that had been brought up since hour one. The frequency took a good 20 minutes to relay information to their locations as it still read them being in the park. He started to tap his right shoe impatiently as they silence filled the tower once more as they all silently hoped for their teammates return, this didn't mean that there wouldn't still be patrols later for anything else suspicious going on in the town.

 _Back to our titular heroine_

"So what I'm getting from your story is that you and JD met in school and he noticed that you could absorb and pacify someone's powers and that only last about five minutes?" Nightingale asked inquisitively as the grey-eyed girl nodded back to her, "But somehow the absorption changed to where you could only hold any type of energy for a minimal amount of ten minutes before the original user gets it back?" another nod came from the silent green haired girl as Nightingale tried to absorb the information she had received, knowing that JD was only using her powers so he could rob places or be used as a distraction, but the venom was something new even for his supposed accomplice and lover. She just noticed that he was getting some from a new drug pusher, she kept her distance as much as she could from him and tried to get him to stop, but he only started lashing out because of the side effects making him order more and go for bigger targets. She looked the girl up and down to notice her clothes were torn at random places and patched in different areas from older openings. Wendy wasn't a threat, sure her ability was useful, but she was usually unable to control the powers she would get, such as the incident with the money catching on fire at the bank when she took some power from her staff and she never even knew when they would kick in meaning she had almost no formal training in handling her own powers. The two sat there for a few silent moments as Wendy started to stand up, knowing that she would have to leave soon before JD got suspicious about her whereabouts. She grabbed her wrist gently as she stood up and placed a piece of paper in her hand making the girl slightly confused.

"If you ever need help Wendy just call this number and I will get there to help you if you need me to. I know…it's hard to ask for help, but just know that I am here for y-?!" she was cut off with a hug from the girl as she could feel her shake slightly as she returned the hug back, feeling how skinny the girl was under her lose clothes, but she soon let go and started to run off, giving her a small wave as she disappeared past the shell of another building. Nightingale stood there for a moment before she felt a cold chill travel up her back as she noticed out of the corner of her eye to see the shadows move, making her turn towards them with annoyance being hinted at in her face. "I know you're there Raven, so come out of the shadows that you're using for cover, did you come all this way to scold me or take me back?" she watched as the familiar figure of her teammate slip out of the shadows and stare at her with neutral violet eyes from under her cowl as she flipped it down. The two stood there for a moment as Nightingale waited for her to say something before she started to walk away from her. "Just leave me alone okay? I have things handled on my end and I can deal with…"

"Why are you doing this?" Raven said calmly, her usual monotone voice was filled with an ounce of curiosity in it as Nightingale stopped in her tracks to turn and look towards her. "We would have gone after them eventually, yet you needed to prove that you could handle it with your large ego or…what?"

"No, because if we went after them later it would have been too late. You heard what that girl was saying to Raven you know that she is in as much danger as the populace if he starts acting brash and going after more than just banks." She turned to fully face her with a low sigh escaped from her throat as something odd started to fill her eyes, making Raven take notice of the emotion boiling behind her teammate's eyes…was it guilt or something else? "Trust me Raven that girl only has a day or less left…the stuff that her partner drank earlier, it's called venom, a highly addictive substance that affects your body making someone ten times stronger than normal even healing them about the same amount that is only found in Gotham. I'm surprised that it even traveled this far…"

"You mentioned that she only had a day or less left…what do you mean by that?" now Raven was showing some signs of compassion, but it still was only a small sliver as her face still was void of emotions. It almost sounded like Nightingale had seen someone in this state before as the girl was hesitant to give her an answer as she noticed her bite her lip, a habit that she was starting to notice more of when they were alone together. She shook away the thoughts silently as she watched her carefully trying to ignore her feelings as she still didn't trust this girl even though she had been with them for nearly a month.

"Venom…isn't really meant to be ingested like that, it's more of something that it injected straight into the body by needle, but if it is swallowed it has a longer duration period and shorter outbursts of strength because it is piling up in his system making him crave more…meaning he is going to crash soon and that isn't a good thing or a pretty sight." She looked down at the ground for a moment as the air held a pregnant silence for that instance as Raven soon picked up on what she was getting at as her eyes widened a bit as the thought crossed her mind.

"Is that why you gave her your number?" a solemn nod was her only answer as the cloaked girl turned on her heels to see if she could even catch up to the girl knowing the direction she was headed, but she soon felt her wrist being grabbed as if it was to stop her from moving any further making her look back to see Nightingale shaking her head as if it was a bad thing to go after her. "Why? You said that she doesn't have time so why don't we stop it from happening?"

"Because even if we did stop it now he would down the last four vials of it without us getting the evidence we need to keep her from getting mixed up into this more." She knew Raven would protest on protecting the girl from taking some sort of justice for her crimes that she was forced to commit though she really could only relate so much to her situation as well. "Raven you don't understand what it's like to be controlled by someone like that, it does things to you that you…wish you could forget, but trust me on this we need to wait. I just wanted to make contact so I could give her an escape…a way out of her situation that was better than rotting in a jail cell for something she was forced to do without having a say in it."

Raven heard her words falter for only a moment as she spoke, making it as if this was some sort of agenda to keep the girl safe, not just because she almost endangered people or even about her injury that she received was something of that was second to be dealt with on the list. She glanced over at her poorly wrapped shoulder and noticed that her own costume was used to stop the bleeding as a metallic scent filled he nose having her so close…but a sweeter smell was mixed into it as well, some type of perfume or…she snapped herself out of her thoughts as she pulled her wrist away from Nightingale's hand as she tried to calm herself down as the feeling from a few weeks ago appeared in her chest again making it feels tight for a moment as it soon subsided while her companion watched her curiously before she turned to start walking away from her.

"Come on we probably should be getting back to the tower…I have twenty-two hours left until he starts winding off his high and enough time to gather evidence." She heard Raven walking behind her as they continued along the way, only for her stomach to rubble slightly as it only had a few bites of the ice cream she had earlier as a light blush appeared on her face as a soft bit of laughter came from her mouth. "Um, but first I need to eat something before even doing that." She smiled back towards her caped companion only to notice she had put her hood back up and was avoiding her gaze as she turned back to continue on walking not knowing of what dark moments were soon to come.

 _Hours later in the dead of night_

Nightingale seemed to be hesitant to go back to the tower after she had finished eating a decent meal at a local burger joint, though she did offer Raven food as well only to see her order something simple before they left, but she felt a nagging feeling in the back of her mind as she started to head back. Raven had been quiet the whole time making the odd sensation heightened as if it was trying to warn her about something, but of what she couldn't really think of what it might be…her train of thought was interrupted as she heard a beeping noise come from her communicator as a low buzz could be heard from the pouch where she held her phone, making her glance back to check if Raven was also getting an alert as well seeing that she had already flipped her cover-up and was listening to it. She reached for her own and opened it to stop the beeping as she saw Robin was the one giving them an alert.

' _Calling all available titans at the moment, another robbery has occurred at a local convenience store near the south end of the city. The robbers did escape though they did not escape unharmed as the store owner didn't take too kindly to being robbed and one was shot. I found another vial at the site like the one from earlier. Keep your eyes out for the assailants one might be bleeding so try and pick up a trail._ ' His voice came out clear as the orders were given before she closed the lid on her communicator putting it quickly back onto her belt before rushing to grab her phone as an unknown number, making her swipe the green colored phone to answer it as she put it near her ear to hear someone softly sobbing into the speaker as a wave of fear soon filled her before being replaced with anger as she tried to control herself.

' _H-Hello?_ ' the voice hiccupped loudly as they tried to control their sobs as Nightingale listened carefully for her to continue. ' _If this is…the hero from earlier please t-tell me I need help JD got shot and he downed another one of those vials and a-after he got shot he drank another one and something is happening to him just please…hurry to the construction district I don't think he's far be-?!_ ' a scream of terror could be heard before a loud crash covered it as the phone soon dropped the call making her turn quickly around as she started to sprint against the current of the late night crowds ignoring Raven's question of what was wrong as dark thoughts consumed her mind telling her that she would be too late. A shadow loomed over her as she spotted Raven levitating above her as she finally caught on to what was going on as they rushed towards the construction district spotting the area they were at only a few hours ago as she cursed herself on the time limit she had set up for his high to come crashing down not calculating that he might try to rob a store. Rushing through the under constructed buildings as she frantically tried to find any evidence of where she had placed the call to only stop dead in her tracks to notice a broken payphone booth left in shambles as blood could be seen on one of the glass shards still clinging to the shambled frame.

She looked both directions, spotted droplets of blood only a few feet apart mixing in with the crunched up gravel and dirt going right as her and Raven soon followed the trail, wondering which one of them was bleeding when they noticed multiple smaller buildings had been either slammed into or were almost demolished on one side as they took a hard left only to be met with two buildings standing in their path as the blood droplets soon stopped. It didn't take long as a horrified scream filled the air as it resonated off the walls and echoed down to the two Titans below as it came from the building to the left of them as they both ran towards the now noticeably busted door as the bare building was only being held up by girders and columns as no walls could be seen from the inside as Nightingale spotted a stairway leading up the building as she started to walk towards it hearing Raven try to follow after her only to had a hand be held up to stop her in her tracks.

"Raven I need you to stay in the shadows, travel through them and see if you can spot them on any of the floors above, give me some sort of signal if you find them. I'll be up there as fast my body is able to if you can try and retrain him from hurting her until I get there." The hooded girl gave her a nod as she started to melt into the shadows around her, though as the black-haired heroine turned her back towards her as she began to run up the stairs Raven took the opportunity to send her location to the other titans hoping they would get there before something bad happened. Nightingale rushed up the stairs arming herself with her staff for now hoping that her kukri wouldn't have to be used in this situation as she felt another item hit against her side remembering her grappling gun might not be right for this situation as well. She had moved up three floors before she noticed Raven's signal as a black tendril poked itself out of one of the shadows near her as it pointed up five times before sinking back into the darkness as another cry ripped through the air…only it was gruffer and sounded as if it was out of shock more than terror. This made her sprint faster only to hear her body protest as she kept moving and charging her staff to one end as the buzz of electricity surged through the device as she finally reached the eight floor as she could hear the wind howl through the thin plastic walls of the unfinished part of the building as the walls were only attached to the back of the building making the noise echo loudly making it harder to think as she spotted a large hulking figure being held down by black tendrils…but they were failing at holding him back.

She spotted Wendy huddled near a pile of bagged concrete as the terror could be seen on her face as she spotted that right leg has a sizable cut through her jean as specks of blood could be seen, making her guess she was crawling on her hands and knees to get out of the phone booth. Nightingale sprang into action as she passed Raven struggling to keep him retrained as Wendy noticed her presence finally as her terror lessened slightly as she slid to the side to see a barely recognizable JD as his muscles tore through his shirt as a fresh scar from his bullet wound seemed to be healing up with his ingestion of the venom as his face turned towards her making him struggle harder against the tendrils as she finally got in front of the green haired girl ready to protect her.

"Wendy, when I tell you to run I want you to run towards the girl in the cloak, got it?" she saw the girl give her a shaky nod as she started to stand up slowly to prepare herself to run on her bum leg. The masked heroine pointed the electrified part of her staff towards the hulk of a man as she readied herself for the onslaught of pain she was going to feel later from this encounter as she started to see the tendrils lose their grip on his ankles and wrists. "Wendy run now!" the girl moved out of the way quickly as Nightingale used her staff to send a shock his way to halt him in his tracks as he was starting to charge towards her, but it didn't faze him at all…it only made him angrier as an inhuman roar escaped from his mouth as she blocked and incoming fist with the middle of her staff, hearing a slight crack coming from the impact as he started to push her back with it before he swung his other fist at her, knocking her through the bags of cement as she used the other prong on her staff as a way of stopping herself by stabbing it into the concrete floor. She took a shaky breath trying to control her breathing, but it seemed like he wasn't going to give her a break as he started to send a flurry of jabs at her as she tried to dodge most of them only to earn a solid hit towards her left shoulder as her nerves twitched and flared uncontrollably making her switch to an off stance to use the staff to block with one hand as she spotted Raven and Wendy were standing still in place.

"Raven get both of your asses out of here!" she yelled at them as she blocked another attack only to hear another cracking noise come from her staff as she sent the electrified prong towards him as she shocked him again only to smell the scent of burning hair fill her nose as he laughed at her knowing that it didn't have any sway on him, making her slightly curse to herself about not charging it up again. Raven hesitated before giving her a nod as she turned to start taking the girl out of the building when she heard the girl gasp out of horror making her turn towards the battle only to see Nightingale's staff flying through the air as its owner followed suit as a loud cry of pain escaped from her throat as she skidded across the rough concrete floor as she noticed the blood coming from her right shoulder as her graze from earlier had opened up again as the poorly wrapped bandage of cloth around it and unwound itself while her face was now covered in cuts from the ground as she stayed limp on the ground as the hulking figure started to stomp towards her. Raven felt a hitch in her throat as the tightness in her chest appeared again as she felt her body run on autopilot as she rushed into battle, her cowl falling down as the black aura encased her hands as she got between the two and summoned a black barrier to block him from smashing Nightingale into the concrete. The venom high JD seemed confused at first as his attack had been stopped by a wall of darkness, but he soon started to try smashing his fists against it causing it to crack from the pressure as each hit was causing Raven's concentration to dwindle as she wondered where the other titans were since she had sent the signal out over thirty minutes ago.

Nightingale's eyes flickered opened as she got up slowly as her body shook with pain from the hit she had taken to feel the wind brushing up violently against her back as she wobbled from the sudden rush of adrenaline as she spotted the black barrier protecting her as looked at the purple haired girl struggling to keep it up as cracks started from the repeated abuse it was receiving from the venom-filled monster behind it kept pounding his fists against it as she noticed smoke billowing off his form…meaning it was slowly wearing off. She struggled to move forward as to get ready for the thing to break as Raven gritted her teeth from the corner of her eye as her concentration dwindled more.

"Raven I told you to get out of here! Just let the barrier go down and get the hell out of here!" she yelled at her, feeling the bitter and metallic taste of blood in her mouth as she had bit down on her tongue earlier trying to hold back some of her cries of pain as she tried to see where her staff had flown off to as her left shoulder throbbed in pain as her fingers twitched in response. The violet-haired girl didn't respond as she tried to reinforce the barrier again, but only for the repairs to be cracked again by the force of his hits, making her assailant angrier and angrier with every hit.

"I-I can't…" Raven struggled to speak as the crackling noise coming from the barrier grew louder and louder until it shattered, the two girls getting hit by the rebound of the force that had been thrusted at the barrier as she noticed the cloaked girl was breathing heavily as she still had her black aura around her hands as if she was ready to attack when a huge muscular arm slammed into her side pushing her into Nightingale as the force knocked her unconscious as the sudden push caused her to realize she was close to the edge. She tried to fight the weight of holding her teammate up in her arms, the girl didn't weigh much truth be told, but her injuries were getting to her when her foot finally slipped over the edge as she held onto Raven's waist tightly as they started to plummet to the ground below as she heard Wendy scream at the top of her lungs…but her words were soon swallowed up by the sound of screeching winds. She fought the currents swirling around her with gritted teeth as she reached for her grappling gun with her free arm, pointing it high as her hand shook against the wind as she squeezed the trigger praying to whatever God was watching her as she heard a loud ping before her plummet was soon halted by the hook grabbing onto something.

She smirked a bit before looking down at her unconscious companion as she started to reel them back up to a higher position as she clicked a button above the trigger as it whirled to life, though it was having a bit of trouble since it was really only meant to carry one person, but it still chugged along like a good little trooper as she waited patiently to see where it had hooked onto only to see that they were two floors lower than where their destination was, but luck was on Nightingale's side again as she spotted Wendy running away from him carrying her staff as more smoke rolled off his body as his muscles started to grow smaller from the venom in his system finally wearing off. She swung herself over onto the concrete landing on her feet as she hissed at the sudden drop before placing Raven down and leaning her against a pile of lumber, worried as she stood up wondering if she was safe here before running after Wendy to try and get her staff back noticing the girl was hiding behind a column as JD was looking for her over turning random objects as she crawled over to her tapping on her shoulder causing the girl to squeal lightly as Nightingale covered her mouth for a moment before removing it to see where he was at the moment, only to see him preoccupied with looking for Wendy still.

"Okay Wendy I have a plan my friend is unconscious and I'm going to need your help. Take whatever electric energy is left in my staff or find another power source to charge from while I keep him away from her when I tell you now shock the ever living shit out of him." she stood up and noticed he was getting closer to Raven as she looked back and smiled at the girl who only was able to nod back as she pressed the button to charge the prong up as the masked heroine ran back in as he almost stumbled upon Raven's unconscious body as Nightingale whistled loudly to get his attention. "Hey muscle for brains I'm over here!" that got his attention quick as he started to charge at her making her take in his noticeable size difference as she planted her feet firmly into the ground as she brought her hands up to catch his fists causing a small shockwave of pain to travel down her arms as she tried to hold him in place feeling her legs start to stumble a bit as she could hear him chuckling at her as she looked up and grinned at him.

"You think it's funny to laugh at a girl who you think is on her last leg." Her smirk grew into a toothy grin as she let his fists go causing her opponent to stumble slightly and she wrapped her hands around each other and slammed them straight into his chin giving him an uppercut that made him stumble back in a daze. "But I have a lot more fight left in me than you think." Her hands ached slightly as she dashed forwards and started pelting his abdomen with jabs left and right knocking him back further away from where Raven was a the unconscious girl started to stir awake holding her head gingerly as she tried to stand up taking in that they weren't on the same floor as earlier as she turned to see Nightingale wailing on the villain as she caught a glimpse of her eyes seeing a static color of purple haze poking through her azure coloring making her suspicious of how she was able to even knock him back that hard before the purple faded away as she soon was slammed in the face by his fists causing her to stumble for a moment as she wiped her mouth flicking the blood onto the floor. She slid her gloved off as she moved into a crouched stance waiting for him to make a move as his body grew smaller as he hurled himself at her only to be socked in the left part of his jaw with bare knuckles before she repeatedly started to hit him harder and harder making each hit count as she waited for the right time to tell Wendy to attack. The more she hit him, the more his bulk started to disappear as she spotted black tendrils shooting up from the shadows to hold him in place giving her the perfect opportunity.

"Now!" she yelled as the green haired girl shot past her as she could feel her hair standing on end as the electricity surged around the girl as she rushed up and placed her hands on his chest, causing a shock to surge through him as he screamed in pain as his body shook from the rush of electricity coursing through him before it subsided leaving him limp as the tendrils holding him let go as he crashed to the floor as his body twitched as small amounts of electric sparks flew off his body. All three girls looked down at him as they heard sirens coming from police cars as she heard thundering footsteps coming up to meet them as Nightingale and Raven turned to see the other titans coming through the doorway as a small smile appeared on the black haired girl's face as her vision started to blur slightly as she stumbled forwards a bit feeling as if her adrenaline boost had finally drizzled into nothing before her vision started to go dark as she could hear someone say her name as she was caught before hitting the floor as her heard filled with static fuzz.

Starfire had rushed forward to catch her fallen friend as she noticed all the cuts and bruises as she looked her over more seeing that her costume had been ruined from the fight itself, making her notice her bloodied knuckles were not covered by her fingerless gloves she usually wore as she heard Robin place handcuffs on the unconscious boy on the ground as the girl held her hands up in surrender catching her taking glances at Nightingale showing signs that she was relieved that she wasn't hurt too badly. Raven had been standing there quietly taking in the scene as she watched Starfire pick up the injured hero as she was informed Robin that they would the authorities handle the rest so they could at least get her back to be looked at and bandaged up to see if anything was worse than it looked. The girl was escorted down as Cyborg carried the cuffed and unconscious JD down to the police while the others started to head back in a rushed pace as Raven and Starfire flew above them as the morning sun started to rise while the rays poked through the gaps of the buildings as silence befell the female members hoping that the damage wasn't too severe.

 _Two days later…_

Nightingale eyes opened slowly as she could hear the beeping noises of a heart monitor ringing in her ears as she tried to sit up, only to have a pain filled groan escape from her throat as she looked down at herself, noticing her hands were wrapped up to her wrists as she started to flex them making sure she could still feel them to only notice some pain from her knuckles was still there. Her top of her costume had been removed as a bandage had been bound from her waist and overlaid her right shoulder as she could feel that her chest was tight because of the binding. She could guess that someone had changed them recently, but whoever did it had to switch off with someone as the sensation of tightness was only apparent on her hands and chest, she could guess that the tighter parts were from Starfire…but who else dressed her wounds. Wendy's face flashed in her mind as she wondered what happened after she fell unconscious when she heard the infirmary doors slid open revealing Starfire and Robin coming in while the alien girl carried a plate of grey mush that she really didn't want to know what it was from.

"Starfire I really don't think you should try to feed her that stuff she might get sick again." what Robin had said caught her off guard for a moment as she tried to remember the last time she woke up on to see flashes of being fed the grey dish for a second before she saw herself throwing up on the floor as the world went dim again. A shiver went up her back as she really didn't want to eat it again as a sour taste filled her mouth.

"On my planet, this helps wounded warriors build their strength back." the alien girl replied confidently as she lifted a large spoonful in the air on to have it start to drip down the handle of the wooden spoon, making Nightingale want to gag at the thought of eating it again.

"I really don't think that is necessary Star…" she spoke aloud catching the two titans off guard as Starfire dropped her bowl of unusual food onto the ground shattering it as she squealed happily to see her up as she zoomed over to give her a tight bear hug, though Nightingale's body screamed in pain. "Star…please, I can't breathe…let go…" the alien girl lets go and back away a bit while she smiled sheepishly at her as Robin walked over to her with a stern face.

"You know that was reckless of you to go after the two robbers by yourself, causing both you and a team member bodily harm while trying to defend a girl from a loose cannon." She winced as he drilled into her as she looked up to see him give her a small smile. "But you did give us evidence in the girl, she gave the police everything they needed to know, even the description of the person who was selling the venom. Look I want to apologize for who I said in the bank…I know you were only trying to protect the hostages, but you still need to be cautious."

"I know Robin and…I'm sorry I should have held my position before thinking of rushing in like that." She looked down at her hands as she heard Starfire leave the room as Robin told her that she would need some proper food along with a change of clothes reminding her she wasn't wearing anything, causing her to pull the thin blanket up as a bright red blush covered her cheeks as Robin sat down in a rolling chair. "So…what happened after I went unconscious?"

"Starfire and Raven rushed you back to the tower so they could see the damage you too and from their accounts, you were pretty banged up. They both worked to get you stable, though I think next time you see Raven you should thank her for healing you with her magic." She raised an eyebrow in surprise as he ran his hand through his hair. "You lost a decent amount of blood so healing your wounds to the point in which the last bandages they had wouldn't go to waste by getting soaked through. I mean that's what Starfire told me, she had to leave halfway through the process to try and find more bandages and came back to an unconscious Raven since she drained most of her energy closing and repairing your wounds and bruises."

She looked down at her hands before she started to unwrap the bandages slowly only to earn protest from Robin saying they might not be healed all the way, but it was soon revealed to be wrong as her knuckles were completely healed with the only remnant of them ever being injured was a small scar was below her right pointer finger. She wanted to check how the bruises had healed while Robin marveled at her wounded wondering if Raven's healing was really that powerful as Starfire came back with a plate piled with bagels slathered in cream cheese and a shirt folded neatly under the plate, giving it to Nightingale so she could throw it on while Robin turned away to give her privacy as she slid the shirt over her bandages upper body as Starfire places the plate on her lap and found another rolling chair to sit in as they started to talk amongst themselves…though Nightingale barely ate from the plate as she thought back to when Raven saved her…that's twice now so how should she even pay her back? What confused her more was why she even saved her in the first place is she distrusted her so much? She munched silently on a bagel as she tried to think of the answers on her own, but it wasn't going to come easily it's not like she could jump into her head right?

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 **And that my lovelies is chapter six of this story. I know it's not as long as the other chapter, but you get a treat since after publishing this chapter I will be putting up** _ **Nevermore**_ **maybe a day or two after since my work is shut down for cleaning until the 3** **rd** **of next year. Sooo more writing for me and I finally have been able to get out of my writer's block too, I guess that is awesome news for you guys.**

 **It seems like Raven is actually starting to warm up to our heroine no? I liked the action personally and I mean it was kinda cool um…yeah, there isn't much else I can say. Oh! While I was writing this chapter I tried to think of whose side she would be on in the** _ **Injustice**_ **universe, I mean it is pretty obvious she would be on Batman's side, but I also thought about her job as an information broker so she could also be a mole on the other side. Another thing I thought of was the possibility of her still being in love with Raven…and I think she would try multiple times to get her to listen to reason, but she would ultimately lose her to the Regime and her own father Trigon's influence. She, of course, would feel lost, but she would continue hoping that some part of her Raven was still there and I think she would be torn over Nightwing's death to the point in which she could never forgive Damian Wayne for losing his temper that night. I seriously think that would make her job as an informant a bit harder since he is up Superman's ass seeing him as a better father than Batman.**

 **Anyways thanks for reading and follow, review, do whatever or even PM me Y'all have a wonderful Christmas season and stay warm out there until I get the other chapter up.**

 **Anri out.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Howdy everyone and a Merry Christmas, or a late one, to you all! I hope you all are having a lovely winter season, I know I am…who am I kidding I hate snow. So hey guys it is I Anri giving you another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and as promised it is an episode one so yes reading another transcript while trying to do this as much as possible. I really enjoyed this episode when I was younger because it helped me understand Raven as a character more and seeing what her emotions were like as their own selves was a cool idea to begin with. Yes this is** _ **Nevermore**_ **and another thing I enjoyed was that she was able to explain her reasons for being so cold to Beast Boy so in turn Nightingale will be with them as well since she is curious on why Raven even saves her in the first place if she has such distrust towards her even though she has shown to be trustworthy *cough* even though she still informs Batman from under their noses. *cough, cough*Ahem anyways I cannot wait until you guys see how she handles being in Raven's mind along with the boys. Also instead of** _ **Mad Mod**_ **I might do** _ **Masks**_ **instead.**

 **Anyways I am typing this while snow is falling down on the ground and…I fucking hate snow like I really hate it so much. I had to drive my boyfriend to work on snow covered roads because the city I live in only has one snow plow out at the moment, or the only one I saw was right as I got him to work so…I dunno if there is more out there. Anyways I hate how everyone is saying snow is like a great thing, no its annoying as shit so shush your mouth. Driving in the type of weather is shitty as well and it's just an annoying chore when you clean snow off your car and then only a few minutes earlier it is covered in the frozen water that is piling back up on the spot you just cleaned. My body also starts kicking into over drive when it gets colder and I start getting sicker even though my body is fighting the shit out of the cold.**

 **Again I enjoy seeing all of you wonderful people reading my story and enjoying my character. I know I don't really know how most of you feel about her, but to me she is just what I want out of a character, she isn't perfect and all powerful, she makes mistakes and tries too hard to show that she can stand on her own without anyone's help not to mention that she risks life and limb to keep anyone safe from her friends to people she barely knows. Her selflessness might get her killed one day, but until that day comes she still plans on keeping everyone she holds close safe and the civilians of any city she lives in protected from whatever is thrown at them and takes the damage head on if she has to. That is why she gets hurt so much, because she doesn't care about her own self and cares more about the people around her, sadly it can be very self-destructive to be honest, but hell I'm the same way. I bend over backwards to help people if need be and I know my selflessness doesn't sometimes go to the right people and I get used by a lot of people because of it though actually I am getting a bit better…and also I snap back at people who use me in very terrible ways so muhahaha…I guess.**

 **Anyways I am going onto the disclaimer now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and that's it. I only own Nightingale and her story along with the plot. I also do not own the transcript that was used to help me with this chapter.**

 **So my wonderful people enjoy the show and remember, review and PM me what you think!**

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 **Chapter Seven: Nevermore**

It had been almost a week since Nightingale received treatment for her injuries from fighting JD, but her bruises finally went away after being cooped up in the tower. Though she wasn't really angry about not being able to help them in fighting the villains that attacked during her time recuperating since her costume was a wreck meaning she had to wait until Alfred was able to send her another one, only to get a large box full of replacements and a stern letter telling her not to push herself that far again since the fabric used to make her costume was still experimental making her feel as if Bruce was using her as a tester wearing a prototype instead of doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Her staff on the other hand was a technical matter she didn't want to deal with so asking Cyborg to fix it was an off and on project since he was usually helping the Titans in battle, but when he did leave he left her a good amount of instructions on what she needed to do to until he got back. Cleaning was probably the worst thing she really had to deal with since she was mostly repeating the same cycle over and over making her want to snap and throw Beast Boy's dirty clothes basket out into the bay…though that might kill a couple of fish in the process.

She kept trying to convince Robin that she was fine after the first three days after, but the boy wonder kept telling her no and made her stay as if it was a sort of punishment for saving the day. Nightingale leaned back in her chair as she glanced at box that contained her new costumes neatly packed away along with spare gloves and extra masks encase she lost those as well before pushing herself away from her desk, standing up and stretching as she walked over to the box to remove a fresh costume to see if Alfred had made any advancements to her costume. The only real changes was to her gloves and lower part of her costume, the new additions being a softer inside of the gloves leaving a hard leather outside with flat studs on the knuckles to protect them from further injuries from fighting with her fists and finally the tights had the fabric woven tighter and layered so her legs would be better protected. Her top was still the same Wayne Tech fibers as the rest of the outfit as she tested it, seeing it was a bit harder to rip and a bit stronger at withstanding damage as she started to dress herself for patrols putting on her mask last when she heard someone clapping from her doorway to turn and reveal Starfire had come to see her.

"Friend it is so good to see you in your costume again!" she rushed over and checked the costume even pulling at the sleeves to test them as she put her utility belt on as she sent her a small smile. As she sat down on her bed to slide her boots onto her feet finishing the look making Starfire clap her hands together in excitement. "Glorious, now we can go on the patrols again and get the cream of ice you were talking about." Nightingale gave her a laugh as she reached for her bow and quiver full of arrows as they started to head out of her room only to hear the alarms ringing through the building.

"Perfect…a great way to start my time back." she commented sarcastically as Starfire giggled next to her as the both of them rushed out of the tower as if it was a race to see who would get to the scene first when she wondered who they would be facing, maybe the H.I.V.E or some awesome new villain?

 _Moments later at the scene_

Nightingale's eye twitched slightly as she armed herself with her staff as she looked up from her position to see a turned over armored car as bags containing money and a few gold bars were covering the pavement slightly as she looked at the villain on the top of the car. Three of the Titans were already circling him as she took in his outfit; he was a bearded man wearing a shiny helmet that wore a skintight outfit with a light bulb on his chest as his emblem of choice as his hands glowed bright with balls of light. From taking in the scene she could guess his bit was something to do with electricity or…hopefully it was just an idiot wanting to be a villain because he had fancy tools. She let out a ragged sigh as she dragged her free hand along her face trying to take him seriously, but truthfully she just wanted to laugh at him. He didn't even look like someone who could put up a fight in the first…she stopped herself remembering she was thinking almost the exact same thing only a week ago as she tightened her grip on her staff bringing the prongs out as they clicked and hummed in the air as she waited for him to move.

"Your pathetic skills can't outshine the brilliance of Dr. Light!" he yelled boastfully at the Titans, though him saying this almost caused her to snicker at the thought of him thinking he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but her snickering was soon cut off as he shot off a beam of energy at them causing them all to move out of the way as she back flipped herself out of range of the beam as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she landed. Robin had taken the incentive and attacked the villain first by throwing some birdarangs as he leaped into the air to try and catch him off guard, but he avoided the attacks as he jumped off of his perch as he gave the spiky haired titan a smirk. "You're very fast, but I doubt that you'll enjoy moving at the speed of light!"

The man touched the light bulb on his chest as it started to emit a glow as another beam blasted at the titan propelling him across the battlefield and over the roof of a nearby building. Nightingale soon started to take this a bit more seriously as she moved around in the street as she spotted Beast Boy running into battle as a wolf only to be dodged as the villain threw a few glowing orbs at him as they exploded causing him to become dazed. He had lost his beast form as he reverted back holding his head as she moved closer to the villain cracking her staff against his back as the shock emitted was supposed to stun him…but it only traveled across his costume as if it was nothing as she looked confused for a moment as a beam shot at her as he turned around laughing as she slammed into the armored car as she felt slightly angered by him.

"You are no match for Dr. Light!" he yelled excitedly as he boasted about his greatness again as she made the prongs disappear into the staff as she rushed forwards again dodging a few of the ball of light he hurled at her as they exploded behind her propelling her forward a bit as she tried to strike him from the side only to have him blast another beam of light at her knocking her into a brick building nearby making her fury intensify as she glared at him.

"Alright Captain Light bulb you asked for it!" she shouted at him as she ran forwards catching him off guard as she noticed he was prepared to attack her again, she aimed her staff and slammed it in between his open legs hearing him strain for a moment at the sudden pain that had hit his groin as she smirked widely before trying to strike again, but a ball of light formed in front of her face exploding before she could even get away as her eye sight blurred filling with fuzzy bubbles as she tried to rub it her eyes only to be thrown back by another ball exploding near her. Her vision started to come back making her notice that Starfire behind some sort of a wall like it was a trap while Cyborg was ripping the one part of the axle and holding before swinging it towards Dr. Light, but it missed and was only able to knock him back a few feet as he hurled his beams of light at him and cutting his makeshift weapon in half.

Dr. Light started laughing as he created a red object toward the bionic man as it exploded near him creating a large flash that was almost blinding as Nightingale covered her eyes for a moment before the light faded, removing her hand revealed that the robotic titan was now embedded in some sort of stone as his head and one hand were free as he started to protest about being stuck in his situation as the villain laughed again, making Nightingale's attack almost go unnoticed as she slammed him to the side to move him away from the now stuck teammate only to earn a beam heading straight for her as she spinned her staff to try and block it. It pushed her back making her boots drag across the asphalt before he stopped the beam. She thought maybe he was charging another attack as multiple balls of light appeared around her, exploding just as she closed her eyes and was flung to the ground, hearing the villain laugh again at his triumph was starting to piss her off as she stared up at the sky above noticing Raven had taken her position.

"Now if none of you heroes mind, I'll be taking the gold now." He stated smugly as he went to go pick up his spoils, as Nightingale struggled to get up as her ears rung loudly from the explosions being so close to her making Raven's voice muffled as she spoke, hearing the familiar sound of her incantation before seeing her get shot down by the villain and land in the street. Her eyes flared purple for a second as she struggled to get up, finally getting to her feet by using her staff as her head ached as she rushed over to help her fallen teammate as Dr. Light started to get closer to the cloaked heroine mocking her about how long her incantation was as he warmed up another beam of light in his hand. She slammed his hand with the end of her staff as she spotted Raven lifting a nearby motorcycle with her black aura wrapped around it as it few towards them both, only to be smashed to bits by the light wielding villain with his other hand as the beam in his right hand was fully charged.

"Raven no!" Nightingale rushed quickly as she got between them in time to block some of the attack headed towards the hooded hero, but the two were thrown back further down the block as she slammed into a nearby postal box causing some mail to come spitting out of it as she made a sizable dent. She winced as she looked over towards Raven to see her with her back turned toward the oncoming assailant as he smirked with a smug body language towards her.

"Don't come any closer." Raven spoke menacingly as he stopped leaving only a few feet between them. Nightingale heard the malice dripping from her voice, it wasn't covered by her monotone voice as she watched the villain mock her for a moment as the cloaked girl let out an almost inhuman snarl as she sprung to her heels, the black haired heroine stared in horror seeing her usually white eyes had split into four blood red eyes as she pulled back growing taller than the villain she was going against. Black tendrils shot out from under her cloak as they reached for the villain as he tried to flee in fear only to be grabbed as they started to drag them back to their host, sparks flying from his suit as he tried to plead for her to stop as he screamed his surrender, Raven gave him a vicious smile as she spoke again, the sound of her voice sent shivers down Nightingale's spine as she struggled to free herself from the crushed postal box.

"What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?!" with one final scream of terror Dr. Light was dragged under her cloak as Nightingale finally freed herself as she rushed over hoping he wasn't lost in the darkness as she heard the others rushing over, Robin and Nightingale both screamed at her to stop as she saw Raven snap out of it as her eyes turned back to their normal violet color as she started to shrink down to her normal size, revealing Dr. Light as a shaken mess as the color from his costume had been drained, Robin tried to comfort him, but the villain was suffering from a mental breakdown from whatever Raven had done to him. Nightingale's right arm shook for a moment as she grabbed it trying to calm her nerves, casting a glance at the cloaked heroine as a familiar feeling filled her body as she tried to ignore it. Beast Boy and Cyborg finally stumbled upon the scene as both were slightly confused at the scene as the green haired boy walked up to Raven.

"Dude, Raven what did you do?" he asked casually, but Raven turned towards him as a snarl came from her throat as her eyes glowed red again causing the green jokester to scream as Nightingale stood between them holding her arms up before looking over towards Raven to see that she had already started to recede into the darkened alley near them as she retreated towards the tower. "Geez what's her deal?" she turned her head towards him as the boy yelped again before yelling at her. "Does everyone on this team have freaky eyes or something?!"

She blinked at him as she looked at a window nearby to see her eyes glowing purple causing her to panic and turn her back towards the others wondering why her eyes were acting up now of all times as she let out a low sigh, pondering on what Beast Boy had said…what was her problem?

 _The morning after_

Nightingale barely had enough sleep from the night before as flashes filled her mind of hellish nightmares causing her to wake up multiple times in a cold sweat as she breathed heavily in the night making her stay up the rest of the time. She saw the sun rise from her window as she pulled the curtains closed to keep her eyes from burning because of the morning sun as she walked out of her room fully dressed for the day ahead as a smell coming from the ops room caught her attention as she heard someone scrapping the spatula against a skillet as she heard Beast Boy whistling off key as the smell of eggs filled her nose making her stomach growl in protest as the sliding doors opened to reveal three titans sitting at the table while the green haired member of the group was cooking something. She sat down next to Cyborg after grabbing a plate and fork from the counter, her stomach growling louder since she was closer to the food, but she was slightly suspicious of what it was since Beast Boy was a vegetarian so this might not end well.

He soon was done as he brought over the still hot skillet off the stove over to the others, putting enough of the oddly colored eggs on each of their plates as he told them breakfast was served, though Nightingale poked her food for a second before taking a medium sized bite as she put it in her mouth her body stopped for a moment as a shiver went up her back as she swallowed the gross flavored eggs as she caught the tail end of Starfire and Beast Boy's conversation about some sort of marriage thing on her planet. Cyborg had almost the same reaction as her as she watched his face sour at the taste before screaming that they weren't real eggs and nor was the milk after he drank that while she pushed her plate away from her to get up and reach for a coffee mug, only to feel someone else reach for it as well when her hand brushed up against them, making her turn to see Raven staring back at her. She blushed lightly and took her hand away as she walked towards the counter seeing a spare mug sitting there as she heard Robin ask if Raven wanted some food as well only to be ignored as Beast Boy tried to tempt her, only to earn a rough response that she only wanted the tea in the coffee pot as Nightingale reached for it herself after the violet eyed girl put it back as she was slightly caught off guard by what he said next.

"You could use a little food after the way you cooked Dr. Light." he was joking of course, but she could see Raven's eyes change to the blood red from last night as she whirled around to look at the green boy as she spoke, but all Nightingale could hear was the coffee pot cracking and breaking into pieces as the hot tea spilled all over the counter as Beast Boy's tofu eggs exploded from the pan and covered him in his own creation. She felt a slight sting on her cheek as she placed her hand there to feel a familiar warm liquid cover her fingers as she watched Raven run out of the room hearing the doors close behind her as Starfire came over to look at the cut on her face, as she glanced down at her mug noticing a few shards had made it into the empty cup. She sighed lightly as she started to pick up the shards of glass off the counter and floor piling them into the beverage holder as she heard Beast Boy complain about how Raven treated him, though she stopped to look at him for a moment.

"I agree with Robin and Cy you need to apologize to her, last night wasn't our best if I'm telling the truth." She dumped the glass shards into the trash can hearing them rattle loudly for a moment before subsiding. Beast Boy glared at her for a moment as he walked over to her as she glanced over at him. "What it is the truth Beast Boy; it probably is stressing her out or something."

"Don't pretend to agree with the masses, she treats you like a disease sometimes so why are you saying I should apologize?" he replied back catching her off guard for a moment as she frowned while he continued. "I mean she probably healed you because Robin told her to so I mean you should…" he yelped for a second as he pointed at her eyes. "See?! I'm not crazy her eyes are changing colors! Why do all the silent members of the team have weird eyes?"

Nightingale gritted her teeth as she slammed her coffee cup into the trash as she started to walk away, hearing Cyborg make a noise as if Beast Boy was in trouble as she turned around to look at the little green boy seeing him shrink slightly in his stature. "I for one do not need an apology from you because I know you're only saying things in the heat of the moment, so why don't you go apologize to the member of our team who needs it?" She walked out of the room as she felt her mind racing as she tried to ignore the feelings that were clogging her mind as she headed down the hall to her room, wondering if she would have time to even write a report before something happened as she stopped for a moment while an uneasy feeling filled her body, wondering if it was the right thing to leave Beast Boy in charge of his own apology as she entered her room to try and get her mind off of a certain violet haired girl only to have her pop in her mind as she tinkered with her utility belt as she heard two of the male titans talking outside in the hallway as she fixed a button to one of her pouches on her belt before hearing a loud crash causing her to jump.

She hesitated on going to investigate before her curiosity got the better of her as she buckled her belt back on as she opened her door to see the boys weren't there in the hallway anymore. She followed their partially hush voices to see that Raven's door had been completely busted down, making her wonder what even happened as she looked into her room for the first time spotting the boys milling around. Her room was painted in shades of grey and black as her bed was at the in the back and reminded her of Starfire's although the sheets were a dark blue and one lone purple pillow was in the center. She noticed an old globe sitting in one of the corners as she stepped in further to see that her book shelves was filled with books from the floor to the ceiling as different ornaments adorned the walls. She stopped her peaking as she noticed theater masks with four eyes making her want to move closer, but she wanted to see what they were planning on doing here since the cloaked heroine wasn't there…also she wondered how they would even fix the door as she heard Cyborg protest about being in Raven's room and suffering the consequences of her anger.

"So this is out big chance to find out more about her. For instance," he picked up a mirror off of her dresser as he looked into it, Nightingale stared for a moment as a memory popped into her head hearing Misty talk about something…the words weren't coming out right as she heard Beast Boy continue speaking. "Check out this mirror, who would of thought that Raven spend time sprucing?" she ignored him after he pointed out a zit on his face as she started to leave, only to hear an all too familiar yelp of fear come out of his mouth as she turned to see him drop the mirror, wondering if the zit scared him that much as she saw a black stream of energy pour out of the mirror with bright red edges as it grabbed onto Beast Boy pulling him in as she ran forward grabbing onto him as she tried to stop him from being pulled in as Cyborg was oblivious to it only to glance back and see the two other members struggling to get away from the black energy as Beast Boy was soon pulled in first as Nightingale was starting to slowly get sucked in, making him grab onto her waist, but it was too late as they were soon pulled in as well as the mirror soon went back to normal as a puff of smoke came off of it as the room filled with silence as it landed on the floor.

Nightingale had closed her eyes when she was pulled in, but once she opened them she was surrounded by red and dark whirl pooling around her as she could hear the green skinned titan screaming along with the bionic member of the team, the motion was starting to make her sick as she closed her eyes again and covered her ears trying to block out their loud shrills of fear. She felt herself hit hard ground as she opened her eyes again to see that the vortex was gone leaving a red sky filled with bright stars above her head as she sat up slowly, rubbing her sore back from landing on it seeing that the other titans were with her as well. After getting up she walked over to them to see Cyborg was checking their location as Beast Boy was waiting for the results on where they were. She looked around trying to guess by the stars, but it seemed like they couldn't even help her as she looked at his arm again as she formed a surprised face when she noticed their location.

"My sensors must be on the blink, because they are saying that we're in Titan's Tower." The bionic man finally replied back as he shut down his sensor as he looked for a way to continue forwards.

"Riiight, so how do we get back?" Beast Boy commented as he seemed a bit anxious to leave, but Nightingale didn't judge him as an uneasy feeling came over her body sending a shiver along her spine as she started to look for a way down from their predicament.

"Guess we could start walking." Retorted the bionic man as he shrugged earning a small protest from the green boy as they started to hear something rumbling and shifting ahead as different fragments of rocks moved together and made a path that connected to their floating piece of land, Nightingale went first as she pulled her staff out of the pouch it was stationed in as she heard the boys continue to talk, hearing Beast Boy say something about this being a joke on Raven's part only for him to whine in pain as he was jabbed by the end of her staff.

"Hey what was that for?!" he cried out as she glanced back at him seeing his face scrunched up in anger. "Why are you defending her anyways? First this morning and now you jabbed me with your stick thing because I said it was her fault for us being here."

"Hey she didn't send us here, you're the one who was snooping in her room and popping zits in her magical mirror." Cyborg commented earning a small glare as the bionic member of the group was trying to keep the heat off the only female with them at the moment. Though he did have a point to what he was saying, she didn't understand why she was defending someone that could even careless about her own existence or even trust her for that matter. As she tried to think of a reason why she glanced up above at a tree to see raven staring at them with four red eyes, catching the tail end of their conversation as Cy mentioned that maybe it was a way home for Raven only to have Beast Boy say something about it being creepy when she stopped in her tracks as she heard someone speak.

"Turn back…" a childlike voice flowed into her ears as she gripped her staff tightly in her grasp as they boys were trying to find where it was coming from as it repeated the words it said before, as all three looked up at a rock archway that had appeared on the path, spotting three small birds with large red eyes as each again repeated the words as if it was a warning. Beast Boy shot past her as she tried to stop him from talking to them, the feeling that something was going to go wrong intensified as he started speaking to them as if they were tiny kittens only to have them disappear from the arch and appear at his feet repeating the words "Turn back." over and over as the urge to start hurting them became eminent. The urge became stronger as she noticed that they were starting to change as their beaks elongated and were now filled with sharp teeth as their eyes split into four slits as they snarled at the green goofball making him scream in surprise as he started to back away from them and running past Nightingale to run right into Cy, causing them to both tumble down onto the ground as the ravens soon turned into a unkindness* as it split off into two heading towards Nightingale and the green shape shifter. They hissed and snarled at her as she defended herself with her staff, only to have a few try to claw at her arms to get her to stop as she created an opening for herself as she started to run away dropping a few smoke bombs to cover her tracks as she rushed to help the other two as they weren't fairing so well.

Cyborg was trying to shake off his attackers as he swatted enough of them off as he started to sprint away as Beast Boy changed into an ostrich out running him and leaving Nightingale at the tail end throwing two more smoke bombs at the hoard of ravens that was following them only to see them cruise through the wave of smoke as if it was no problem. She watched as the green bird changed into a llama as Cyborg hopped onto him and armed his sonic cannon to fire at the birds from a distance, she ducked her head as she ran to catch up to them only to hear the robotic man growl out of anger as they dodged as one swooped down and tried to attack only to miss as well when Cy hunkered down on his mount and fired again. She was closer to them as he fired another shot only for it to smash into the ground and cause it to crumble away under their feet before Nightingale could reach for her grappling gun only to feel the hardware wasn't in its normal place as a loud curse rang from her throat as she slid past Cyborg and grabbed onto one of Beast Boy's legs to hear the llama protest in pain. Cyborg was trying to haul both of them up as he was struggling a bit with Nightingale's added weight as a familiar voice filled their ears, though it wasn't just the voice that caught them off guard it was the tone.

"Hey guys." A cheerfully tone was held in her voice as Nightingale looked up at the underside of the path to spot a familiar cloaked figure, but the familiarity soon disappeared as she took in her outfit. Everything was the color of pink, from her boots to her own cloak were changed from their normally indigo blue color as she stood with her feet planted firmly on the underside of the path as she gave them a small wave revealing that her wristbands had as well turned pink. "What's up?"

Nightingale stared at her in confusion as she could feel herself shift with the world making Raven right side up as they fell back onto the ground below them, all groaning in pain before getting up, hearing Raven laughing at them as if it was meant to be funny. Beast Boy looked at her in confusion as she humored him with his questions giggling and smiling the whole time as Nightingale started to dust herself off and pick up her staff, noticing it had a slight bend to it, but it seemed barely noticeable while she inspected it further as Cyborg spoke up.

"Look, I'd love to talk fashion, but do you know how to get home?" he asked, but it seemed like Raven was distracted for a moment as he spotted her looking over at Nightingale with a large smile on her face before snapping back towards him.

"The Forbidden Door." She pointed down the road past a few more arches to another platform holding a grey building. "It's the only way out, but you don't want to go there." The boys protested that they wanted to go that way, but she walked over to Nightingale as she was half listening getting close to her face for a moment causing the black-haired heroine to jump slightly as the pink cladded girl giggled at her as she moved closer to her face. "You know I love your eyes, how they sparkle that pretty blue color when you get surprised or embarrassed is adorable."

"I-I um…" She stepped back for a second trying to compose herself as she heard another giggle come out of Raven's mouth, making her cheeks burn slightly as she cleared her throat. "You said something about a Forbidden Door, so I agree with the guys…I think we should get out of here."

"Kay, but don't say I didn't warn you." She poked Nightingale's nose as she ran away spreading her arms out and making airplane sounds as she ran through the arch near them and down the path. The boys shrugged and followed her, talking to each other as they wondered if Raven could even be that happy as Nightingale followed behind them as her cheeks were a bright pink color as they moved under the archway, an odd feeling came over her as she shivered lightly, she blinked slowly at the sudden change of scenery as a yellow sun hung above them in the sky as the path continued down through to another arch as the rest was covered in a meadow filled with pink grass and trees.

"Oh god…it looks like a unicorn puked in here…" Nightingale joked as she shaded her eyes from the bright colors as the boys nodded in agreement with her. She felt an odd sense of déjà vu coming from this situation, but she couldn't place where it was coming from as a small strawberry floated past them making further questions pop in her head as she felt Beast Boy nudge her arm.

"Or maybe where air fresheners come from am I right?" he asked jokingly as a giggle could be heard as the three looked to see that Raven was standing in front of them again.

"Those were some good ones guys." She smiled warmly at them making Nightingale slightly confused as her blush grew larger at the compliment as she snapped herself out of it, Raven hated her right…? So why was she being so nice now? Beast Boy was surprised that she even laughed at his jokes for once as she gave Nightingale a small wink before speaking again. "I've always found your jokes funny BB, but hey looks aren't everything." She giggled one last time before leaving the three where they stood, making them all slightly confused about what to do next as they continued walking.

 _Outside the mirror_

Robin walked up the stairs leading the top of the tower with a worried expression on his face. He hadn't seen Cyborg, Beast Boy or Nightingale since this morning and finding Raven's door busted down made him slightly panicked as he looked everywhere and even asked Starfire to help in the search as it finally lead them to the last place that they could think of before heading to the city to try and scout them out. He cracked the door open slightly to spot a familiar form sitting cross-legged as she sat on the edge of the wall making him relieved a bit that one of his team members was still here as he opened the door fully to walk out onto the roof.

"Raven…?" he asked carefully as Starfire and him walked closer to her as they didn't really want to disturb her, but it was already too late for that. "You okay? We stopped by your room and the door's been knocked down. Cyborg, Beast Boy and Nightingale are nowhere to be seen so we though-?!" Raven's eyes opened wide as she started to laugh uncontrollably for a few moments as she clamped her hands over her mouth trying to stop herself as the two titans behind her scared them both.

"I-I need to be alone." She spoke nervously as she stood up and ran to the door of the roof, opening it quickly and rushing down the stairs leaving the two titans confused at they looked at each other. Raven rushed quickly to her room noticing the wreaked door as she stepped over it, placing it back in its normal place with a small wave of her hand. She walked further into the room as she looked around noticing nothing was out of place as she felt something bump against her boot as she glanced down to spot the mirror on the floor as a horrified expression covered her face. "No."

 _Back to the merry band of three inside the mirror_

The three continued down the winding path through the pink meadow as the color was slowly burning into Nightingale's retinas as she rubbed her eyes hoping that the color would go away as she could hear Beast Boy yelling about how Raven just left them there without any further aid, though she was wondering about that herself as she spotted a few more four eyed ravens perched on a tree nearby watching them as they continued to the archway, but as soon as he finished complaining the world melted away again into the space like region they were in only moments before making her sigh in relief of not being in the pink colored hell as she looked forwards seeing that they were starting to get closer to the area where the forbidden door is located making her feel reassured that going through that place was worth it as she heard Cyborg complain mockingly that they were back where they were before as a gray cloaked figure with their back turned towards them appeared before them causing both of the males of the small group to jump. She finally turned around to reveal a sad and fearful expression on her face as Nightingale felt her heart drop for a moment, fighting the urge to make her feel better was troublesome, but she knew Raven wouldn't like that as she spotted Beast Boy walking up towards her angrily.

"Where were you? Shopping for robes?!" he yelled at her furiously as Raven backed away from him as she seemed to cower slightly at his menacing presence as tears started to stream down her face, Nightingale gripped her staff tightly as she moved between the two of them holding her weapon sideways near his chest as she could hear Raven stop crying as Beast Boy's face changed to a worried look filled with remorse as he held his hands up. "Whoa easy I didn't mean it, please don't-."

He was interrupted as Cyborg pointed ahead as he shouted to get their attention as he finally noticed the door was closer to them now, making Nightingale slightly confused as she tried to put it together since they were further away only a few moments ago. "That's the forbidden door right Raven?" he earned a worried nod from her as he started to sprint toward the door as the others started to follow him, but Nightingale felt her sleeve get tugged as if she was being held back by Raven as she watched a large metal wall spring up in front of her robotic friend as he halted himself out of surprise. More walls started to spring up around them boxing all four of them. Beast Boy changed into a hawk as he tried to fly out of the area, only to have a force field crackle to life as it sent him crashing towards the ground, once he finally hit the floor he changed back and rubbed his head wincing. Cyborg broke out his cannon as he was about to fire at a wall nearby, he fired a few bursts at the wall, but the attack doesn't even leave a dent in the metal as Raven spoke, her voice matching her facial expression.

"It's a maze…you can't get out, you have to go through. I can show you the way, but when we reach the end, you won't like me anymore…" she looked over at Beast Boy and gave Nightingale a passing glance as she looked down at her boots. "Those two already don't like me…"

"Come on, that's not…"

"Raven I didn't ever say I didn't like you, you said you didn't-." she watched as Raven moved past her as she started to move through the maze, the two boys stared at her as they were slightly irritated by her change of mood, but the azure eyed member of the team watched Raven walk away as she felt her hand grip her chest where her heart should be as an odd feeling filled her chest as she followed behind the boys as the navigated the maze, though she continually heard the grey cloaked girl apologize to them, but she never heard her address her once making her slightly curious about it, but she was starting to get a tad bit annoyed by all her apologizing as they reached the end as Raven said one last sorry before waving her hand to the wall in front of her as it opened like a pair of interlocking doors to reveal the pathway before them as two tall statues stood on either side, she noted that their faces reminded her of the masks from Raven's room as they each had one arm on opposite sides.

"That's the end…" Raven said quietly as the boys moved forwards quickly as they were excited to leave, but Nightingale stopped and glanced back at the grey cloaked girl for a moment until she heard two things sliding across the ground making her face forwards as her eyes widened seeing the eyes of the smiling statue glowing red as the two attached to each other by their backs, turning three times to interchange from the smile to the frowning face and finally returning to the smiling face as swords materialized in their hands as more arms had formed on it. Nightingale rushed forwards as she could hear Raven's last words before she disappeared. "Told you that you wouldn't like me when we got here…"

She rushed forward past the stunned boys as she was ready to block the attack from the two swords falling towards them, her mind muttering curses as she really wished that she had just ignored the noise and continued with what she was doing earlier…though it did make her wonder what the other titans were doing without them there.

 _Said titans she was thinking of_

Robin sat on the couch as he finally gave up his search for the other titan's guessing that they had gone to the city to get pizza or something as he flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch as he settled on the cooking channel, wondering it Nightingale had this episode taped already as he heard Starfire pacing behind him as she was still worried for her other teammates, especially Nightingale since those two were more attached at the hip than Beast Boy and Cyborg though he could also throw Raven in there as well since they hadn't heard from her in a couple of hours. He soon changed the channel to a western that was on, as he glanced over his shoulder for a moment to check and see if Star was even planning on calming down.

"May we go see if she is feeling better? Or should we try navigation through the crowded streets to find our friends?" she said curiously as she caught him looking back, hoping he would give her a good answer.

"She said that she wanted to be alone Star and I think the others will come back at some point, Nightingale can only stand hearing Beast Boy's jokes for so long." He shrugged as he turned back to the TV, the expression on Starfire's face filled with worry as she continued to pace back and forth glancing up at the screen occasionally.

 _Back to our intrepid trio_

Nightingale used her staff to block the swords from swinging down onto her teammates as she strained herself trying to hold them back as she could hear her staff cracking again as the new material that Cyborg had used to repair it was starting to chip away making a larger crack along with another as she started to get pushed back by the blades as the boys started to back away. She gritted her teeth as she felt the blades lift off from her staff only to have them slam her back as her feet skidded across the ground. Beast Boy changed into a hawk again as he flew away from another attack as Cyborg let a few blasts off from his cannon, though it had no effect on the stone being as it smashed its sword down onto the stone next to him as it missed since it had been distracted from the shots thrown at its face. The green hawk swooped down to try and swipe at it with his talons, giving Nightingale the chance to charge in again as she tried to knock one of the swords out if a hand, but it rose up and tried to slam down on her once more as she brought her staff up to block it. A sickening crack filled the air as the sword sliced through her weapon cutting it in half as sparks flew from cut wires.

"Goddamn it do you know how expensive that was to make?!" she screamed up at the statue, hurling a piece of her staff at it chipping the smiling mask slightly as her blood boiled in her body as she spotted Beast Boy getting squeezed roughly by one of the arms on the statue as she tried to plan a way to get him down when she heard the familiar voice again bellow something out confidently.

"Yo! Eight eyes!" Raven yelled as she launched herself into a flying kick towards the statue as her green cloak billowed in the air as she slammed her foot into its face causing it to topple over onto the ground. "Whoo-hoo, in your faces!" she started rushing towards the foe as it was getting back up on its feet, dodging one of the sword slash as it was coming for her as her smirk never changed as it continued attacking. She raised one hand towards the statue as her index and middle fingers extended together as she moved it up along the body of the statue and ending at the head before she brought her arm back down. Smoke started to billow out of the area she had traced as the statue started to crumble apart as it crashed to the path below before disappearing. Cyborg and Beast Boy were in pure amazement at their confident teammate as Nightingale felt her heart skip a beat for a second before she snapped out of it as she picked up the other part of her staff from the ground. She wasn't the only one to snap out of it as she saw Beast Boy shake his head as his expression read as if he was done with what was going on.

"What is your deal?!" he yelled at the green cladded girl as Nightingale heard the flapping of wings nearby as she spotted a few ravens were planting themselves in the trees around them as she went back to listening to what he was saying as she dug through the pouches in her belt to try and fine some caps to put on the end of the cut parts of her staff, slightly glad that Alfred was kind enough to send her some though explaining to him what happened would be troubling. "First you nuke breakfast, then you finally laugh at one of my jokes, and then you're all weepy, but now you are a Marine? Make up your mind. Who are you?" the cloaked girl gave him a quizzically as Nightingale almost dropped her almost decently covered sticks of her remaining staff as the pink colored Raven along with the grey cloaked one appeared near her as the pink one gave her a wink.

"I'm Raven." All three replied in unison as the green boy looked in shock for a moment as he fainted onto the ground.

Nightingale slapped her forehead as she finally remembered something that Misty had told her a long time ago _._ ' _Certain empaths have trouble with handling their emotions with their powers so some use…_ ' she stopped thinking for a moment as she finally realize where they were, but she wasn't the only one who realized this as Cyborg pointed at each of the girls saying what part of Raven they were, pink being happy, grey was timid and the green one was bravery though the pink one made a joke towards Beast Boy as he started to get up from his position on the ground.

"Different sides of Raven's personality were not in Raven's home…" Cyborg would have continued, but the green jokester finished his sentence.

"We're in her head."

"And I want you out." Nightingale watched as the real Raven descended into view in front of her duplicates as the disappeared as she walked angrily towards the green boy. "The mirror you found is for meditation. It's a portal into my MIND-NOT A TOY." The last four words were aimed at him as he shrunk in stature as he held his hands up in surrender as he tried to apologize to her as the birds started to fly away as they started to make a commotion as the started to squawk and flap their wings loudly catching Raven's attention as she looked towards the noise. "You have to go, now."

"Hold up, what's going on here?" Cyborg asked sounding concerned as the birds sounded as if they were getting louder, but it didn't affect the conversation.

"Last night something…got loose." Raven replied back as Nightingale felt slightly uneasy about what she had said as Beast Boy demanded to know what was going on as an unholy roar filled the air stopping him as they all looked towards the swirling vortex that had appeared near them as the birds wrapped themselves around it as they soon flew into it. It gradually started to disappear from the top all the way to the ground, but what it revealed make Nightingale stand there in fear as her right arm shook uncontrollably making her dig her own fingers into her costume as a large hulking red humanoid male with red skin was revealed to be behind the veil. Long flowing white hair cascaded off of its scalp as four yellow eyes glared down at the four members as he was cladded in a black and grey loincloth wearing steel wristbands as a belt similar to Raven's clung to its hips as well as a jewel in the center of its forehead. The belt was adorned with silver and black stones as it matched the brooch piece around his neck as Nightingale noticed the short, black stripes on the arms and chest of the figure before them.

"Hatred shall rule!" he shouted loudly as his voice sounded like the way Raven had spoken as the night before as it came out as a rough snarl as they started to back away slowly. They all stared at the sheer size of the creature before them as Nightingale wondered why something like this was even in Raven's head only to get her answer.

"Let's just say I have issues with my father." Raven replied calmly as if this was something she had to deal with constantly…though it probably was as they all heard a guttural roar escape from the figure's mouth as they stood there frozen in fear before the boys started to run, leaving the girls standing their ground, but in reality Nightingale couldn't compel herself to move with them as she felt her right arm shake again as she gripped her separate pieces of her staff in her hands, clicking a them together to make the prongs appear out of the ends as electricity charged out in large arches, but her feet started to have a mind of their own as she started to rush after the male members of the group as she glanced back at Raven standing alone feeling gut wrenching guilt fill her chest. She could hear a blast hitting the ground as she could see the swirling portal just ahead as they almost were near it as a beam hit the floor in front of them halting their progress as she turned to see that the Raven had caught up with them as she stared down the figure that resembled her father as she spoke her incantation as she created a shield around them and the door as he sent repeated attacks of rocks and dusts as they covered the area, making it impossible to see as Nightingale readied herself, knowing that she wouldn't run his time.

As the dust started to clear when she noticed that the red figure was shooting another barrage of eye beams at them as Raven's shield stayed up as saw her glance back as she continued to hold it with an almost effortless attempt.

"Get out of my mind! Now!" she yelled at them as the door had filled with the same whirlpool that had taken them to this place in the first place as all three of them hesitated on stepping through as the all looked at her with smiles on their faces.

"And leave you alone with that thing?" replied the green haired boy as Cyborg soon chirped in to answer his question.

"Not gonna happen." They both glanced at Nightingale as she gave them a smirk as she banged the metal sticks in her hands as they charged with electricity arching between them.

"I'd rather not leave you here alone with that thing Raven, besides three against one has a much higher odd if were betting." She set the girl a large and cheeky smile as she could spot a blush along the girl's face as she turned away to focus on her shield.

"It's my problem, I'll deal with it. If I lose you'll be stuck here forever." She replied back to them as her monotone voice showed a small amount of emotion. The red figure drew its hands back as large balls of energy formed on them as it crashed them together as a beam went straight for the shield as it breached it before the other one destroyed it all together as dust rose again before settling revealing that Raven cover her face by crossing her arms as Nightingale noticed her swing one hand back as a lash of telekinesis hit her and the boys pushing them back. "GO!"

It only pushed them closer to the mouth as Nightingale watched the hooded girl fly towards the creature's head as she started to fire a barrage of black energy towards its face causing the figure to swat at her like a fly, but she evaded each hit easily as he tried to shoot another eye beam at her, but that missed as well. She looked back at the boys behind her as a large grin covered her face as both of them looked at each other before sharing a nod as she rushed forwards, getting ready to charge her sticks again as she watched the two fight more, as the flying magic user dodged an attempt at almost being crushed by the figures hands before landing a shot onto his chest. She moved behind his head for a moment though he soon started to catch on and landed a few direct hits that dropped her like a rock as he grabbed her from midair holding her in his hand. Nightingale rushed forwards and jabbed her prong ends of her sticks into the beast's ankle sending a shock up its leg as Cyborg aimed for his chest with his cannon landing a direct hit, making him drop Raven as she plummeted towards the ground making Nightingale pull her sticks out of the creature's flesh as it started to topple backwards making parts of the asteroid fall off and into empty space. She doubled back as she rushed to try and catch Raven, Beast Boy had helped slow her decent as he changed into a hawk again grabbing her by her cloak as the black-haired heroine held her arms out for him to drop her safely there as he landed next to her with a cheeky grin causing Nightingale to roll her eyes as she heard Raven stir as she started to set her feet on the ground first and helped her stand as she regained consciousness.

"You stayed…? I thought you both didn't like me…?" Raven stared at them in shock as Nightingale and Beast Boy bumped each other's fists, though he shook his hand after his knuckles hit her studded ones.

"Personally we both thought that you didn't like us." Stated Nightingale as fact, seeing the violet haired girl smile at both of them as a small blush covered her face as Raven caught her eyes, both looking away from each other as they heard Cyborg shout something as she looked over to see the male figure growling at them as another roar came from its throat. Her eyes flared purple for a moment as she moved in front of Raven and Beast Boy earning a glance from each of them as she felt the only way to challenge the figure was to do the same back. So Nightingale let out a roar as it echoed through the area as the others looked at her as if she was insane while the monster looked at her curiously before its face turned into a malice grin as it seemed to be taking her roar as a challenge.

"Feel my fury!" shouted the figure as it four eyes shot a few blasts at the ground trying to blow it up from underneath Cyborg's feet that sent him diving for cover as it turned its attention to the challenger who had jumped down from the rock they were on and was rushing towards him, giving Raven and Beast Boy the perfect distraction as they took to the skies. Cyborg returned fire where ever he could take cover at as Nightingale dodges incoming attacks from both beams and large fists slamming into the ground as she jabbed a prong into his thumb, sending an electric shock up his arm causing the beast to cry out in pain as she pulled it out again, though she was too slow when an incoming attack smashed down next to her blowing her away as she slammed into a tree. One of the last shots Cy had shot finally got the red figure good and angry as is attention was turned towards the bigger man on the field below as he leaned down and hit him point blank with a beam, but before he could land a finishing blow a yell of surprise escaped from the mouth of the beast as Beast Boy in pterodactyl form tugged at its hair. Nightingale quickly got back to her feet as she rushed back into the fray, spotting Cy running away form a barrage of the hulking beast's eye beams as Beast Boy flew over to pick him up. She soon felt someone grab her from under her arms and pull her up in the air as she glanced up to see Raven was helping her retreat behind a small ridge as the two boys caught up with them. The red being swatted away the dust as it looked for them as it moved away from their hiding spot.

"He's too strong…even with your help, I cannot defeat him." Raven spoke, her voice filled with a hint of exhaustion and worry that they were fighting a losing battle. The boys suggested that she call the other Ravens only for her to shake her head at them. "It still wouldn't be enough. None of my other sides have that kind of power we need."

Nightingale reached for her hand as a way to reassure her that they would get out of there…but she stopped herself and bit her lip trying to think of a way that they could get the power they needed. She glanced down at her arm wondering if she should do it when Beast Boy piped up making the thought disappear from her mind.

"Not alone, but what about together?" he said as the figure started to stomp closer to them. "They're all part of who you are, right?"

Nightingale notice Cy checking to see how close he was when a set of eye beams flies above them causing the larger titan to duck before swallowing his fear telling Raven that they got her back as they boys charged in first, she looked over at Raven and squeezed her hand gently, catching the girl's attention.

"I…I know you don't trust me Raven, but I got your back and I believe in you." She gave her and encouraging smile. "Besides I still need to pay you back one more time for saving me…and I can't do that if we both die." She noticed a small smile on her face as she let go of her hand feeling the warmth from it disappear as she started to set out, taking one last look at her. "Um…after we get out of this…can we talk?" she only got a nod as a response before she joined the boys in the fray again wondering how much juice she had in her sticks as Raven began concentrating her energy to contact the other parts of herself towards her location. Nightingale helped with the distraction noticing the red figure was more targeted on her now as she dodged more attacks, giving the boys and Raven more time to do what they needed to, though she did get knocked down a few times and almost crushed.

She glanced over to where Raven was as she noticed her spinning above the ground with multiple colored cloaked figures circling with her as she guessed they were her other emotions as they started to grow into a colored blur. It gradually started to turn white as dust started to rise again making her cover her eyes to keep it from coming in, but as soon as she uncovered her eyes she stared in awe at Raven seeing her dressed in white as the figure continued to focus on the three that were distracting him from her presence. He did soon notice her existence as he turned towards her as the wind revealed the leotard had changed to from the normal black color to the same stellar white as her cloak. She hurled a large mass of black energy at the red figure as it wrapped around it as a band holding its arms close to their sides as the words that came out of her mouth rumbled the area around them.

"You are going back where you belong!" she shouted at the beast, her voice overlaying with many as the creature itself roared back in defiance as it broke loose of its bindings. Raven's eyes and mouth began to blaze with the same type of power that formed in her hands as two huge beams are shot at her from the creature's hands only for Raven to shoot her own beams back creating a type of stalemate as both energies tried to push the other back. Nightingale watched at the two continued to had their standoff, though Raven was winning the fight as she pressured more energy into her beam as it finally crashed into the beast as smoke covered the area around it, only before clearing to reveal another cloaked Raven dressed in red as four blood red eyes glared up at the one cladded in white. Her body soon disappeared into a bolt of red energy as it shot for Raven, crashing into her before being absorbed and leaving a grimace on her face. Another flash happened as Nightingale covered her eyes for a second as it subsided spotting the indigo cladded titan leaning over as if she was taking a breather, her cloak billowed to reveal her leotard was again black underneath as she started to run over, the boys following after her. She straightened up for a moment, but a groan came from her mouth as she started to collapse backwards, being caught by Nightingale as the boys also helped stand her to her feet earning a small blush from the cloaked hero as she took it as a thank you. The black cladded hero watched as Raven interacted with Beast Boy for a moment, though she caught her glancing over at her a few times before they left through the portal…her mind flooded with what she wanted to say to her later, but it would have to wait until they got back.

 _In front of Raven's door_

Robin was trying to hold Starfire back as she tried to knock on Raven's door to see if the girl was alright, though he told her multiple times that she could handle herself and that she wanted to be alone, the alien girl wouldn't budge. They both started to argue over if it was right or wrong to check on her as the door opened, revealing the three of the four titans inside the room, making Starfire smile happily as she relaxed, causing the boy wonder to be thrown back a bit since he was tugging on her arm trying to stop her from bothering Raven as he got to his feet confused.

"Where have you guys been?" Robin asked curiously only to get a response from Cyborg saying that they were just talking and trying to know each other better. Raven blushed lightly as she gave them all a small smile as everyone started to file out into the hallway as they all started to talk about having breakfast for dinner as the boys soon rushed off to the kitchen with Robin and Starfire right behind them. Raven went to move forwards, but stopped herself as she didn't spot another cheeky team member before her; she turned slightly to see Nightingale walking down the hall as she was heading towards the stairs leading to the roof.

"You aren't coming…?" Raven asked in her monotone voice making the latter stop in her tracks and turn to look at her with a small smile.

"I…need some air so tell them to save a plate for me. I'll eat it later I just…" she sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Remember what I said earlier? Once you're done eating come talk to me…I'll be on the roof." She turned on her heels and sent a wave to the cloaked girl as she continued to the stairs.

Raven watched her go as she hesitated for a moment before joining the others for something to eat, informing them that Nightingale was planning on eating later and to have a plate for her in the fridge, but she tried to keep her mind clear as she ate her waffles, wondering what the masked hero would say to her once she was up there.

 _Later around midnight_

Nightingale leaned against the concrete railing of the roof as she stared down at the water below as the full moon glimmered off its surface as she took in another deep breath of the cool and salty air around her. It was a slightly stressful day, but to her it was about as productive as any other day she had to deal with here, her phone buzzed slightly in a pouch as she pulled it out, reading a message from James saying that he would get her the item she asked from Misty while another one read that Alfred was sending her a stronger staff to use along with a long winded paragraph on being more careful with her equipment. She cleared each message with a thank you before putting up back where it belonged as she listened to the wind whistle around her as her eyes started to close a bit before hearing the door to the stairs open. She turned toward the noise to see Raven shutting the door behind her as she looked up at Nightingale with a neutral expression as they stared at each other while the wind rushed by them again.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Raven asked firmly, though her tone stayed neutral as she moved closer to her.

She was slightly surprised that Raven even showed up after the events that happened, but it was maybe a good sign that things might be different. Nervousness started to course though her body as she tried to think back to what she wanted to say to her, though her mind was failing her at the moment as she watched Raven cross her arms as she was showing slight impatience towards her, making the feeling worsen as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Raven why…why do you think I hate you?" she asked, knowing fully well that this wasn't one of her questions she wanted to ask, but it was worth a shot to even try to get an answer out of her.

"…because I don't trust you." She replied back leaving her with only a simple answer to go on as silence befell them both as Nightingale went back to thinking.

"But…even though you don't trust me, you still help me, like when I was unconscious that one time while fighting the robber hyped up on venom or even when he tried to shoot me in the bank you still saved me. Hell even at the tower you stopped one of Starfire's random concoctions from exploding on me and I just…I don't understand that if you don't trust me then why even help me in the first place?" she ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to calm herself down as her eyes flashed another color for a second, Raven noticed and said nothing as she thought of her own answer as she continued. "If you think that I hate you then why even try to help in the first place?"

"I…I don't know." Raven spoke out of surprise at her own answer, though it was the truth she really didn't have an answer for her. Ever since she told her how she felt her emotions were making her do things that went against what she was trying to do. She saw Nightingale relax a bit at her answer as she went back to leaning against the concrete railing as the wind blew her hair around as she started to notice the moonlight brightened her lightly tan skin…she stopped herself as she could feel her cheeks heat up and her chest tighten for a moment as she saw her pat the side next to her, compelling her to move forward to go to the spot.

"Raven…I…"she laughed nervously as she tried to from the words in her mouth as she felt her tongue dry a bit as she could feel something bubbling up inside as if it wanted to overpower the nervousness. "That thing we fought today was your anger right…?" she earned only a solemn nod from the hooded girl as she thought it over while she made her way over to her.

"I…could have guessed that, but it's reassuring to know that I was correct." Raven had finally sat down next to her as she cleared her throat to continue. "I know…you probably still don't trust me and I'm fine with that, but what I want you to know is," she placed her hand over the others causing Raven to look over at her as she looked back. "I promise you that I won't let you fall. I won't let you get swallowed by that darkness because I want to…I want to be someone you trust, like how you trust everyone else on the team, even Beast Boy is more trusted than I." Nightingale looked down at her feet for a moment as she took in a deep breath. "I make this promise to you now Raven, I will never let you fall for grace and forget who you are."

Raven stared at her for a moment as a warm feeling spread a crossed her cheeks as the tightness in her chest appeared once again as she wrapped her hand around hers and squeezed it gently, the same way that Nightingale had done before when they were in her mind as the two stayed there silent before the hooded girl nodded out of the corner of Nightingale's eyes, reassuring her that she understood what she was telling her…and making sure that she knew she was trusted if she was willing to risk a promise like that. The two looked up at the sky above not even noticing their hands were still together as they enjoyed the night air as the full moon descended further down into the horizon breaching the bay as the morning was coming upon them revealing a brand new day and a new understanding between the girls as they both separated back to their rooms only an few minutes later as the events from today finally caught up to them.

* * *

 **And that ends this chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and I so hope you enjoyed it as much as I did…because this was another pain to write, but I also loved doing it. Finally the two girls seemed to be seeing eye to eye now with Nightingale's lovely promise and she intends to keep that promise til the bitter end.**

 **What was the item she wanted from James and company? You'll have to find out next chapter and then after the regular one will be** _ **Switched**_ **, one of my favorite episodes from the series next to** _ **Masks**_ **and many others.**

 **The end author note is short this time because I am totally running out of energy, but I hope everyone is having an enjoyable season whether you be in the States or across the world I just am pleased you are having a wonderful time…oh and her saying I won't let you fall is like how the protagonist from** _ **The Princess Bride**_ **always says "As you wish" instead of saying I love you. Now she isn't meaning it that way now, but just keep that in mind once their relationship gets closer to being more than just new friends…also no sex. I cannot write a decent scene like that to save my life so stop it…get some help…lol. I have a problem and typing until morning was not a smart thing…**

 **Anyways please PM or review and tell me what you think! Thanks guys, Anri out.**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Hey wonderful members of Fanfiction, it is I, Anri back with another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **…um sorry this is late and I have to explain myself. I wanted to take a break after putting out the last few chapters and well I did, but when I tried coming up with a chapter title along with a summary of what I wanted to do I came up blank. So I finally decided just to move onto the next episode chapter as a way of making it up to you guys for being late so I will also be working on the chapter after this one, so please bear with me as I continue to put up chapters to the best of my ability. Now I also want to say wow it's a surprise to see my email blow up with a lot of people checking the favorite and follow button to be up to date on when I update next. I really feel proud and happy that you guys really enjoy the story; I know I have probably said this before, but I am very sincere about it to be honest it actually wants to make me work harder in putting out more chapters.**

 **Other than that small thing I have a few other things I want to say, first I have an account on amino in the Teen Titans one, so if you want to find me you can I implore you to try…or I will be nice and tell you the name. It's Nightingale24 and you can also pm me or leave a review here telling me what you think I really would like feedback, but if you can't that is okay too or message me on Amino. I want to see if I can do better and give you guys more chapters so if any has ideas for that please tell me lol it would help me a lot. Other than being late on chapters my life is going okay and that's about it.**

 **Also whoever you are, the person who wrote the review for Chapter Seven…thank you it's nice to hear that you like the story and are waiting for more on Nightingale along with her secrets…but I will be a good author and spill none of them. I also can't wait until I get to "** _ **How Long is Forever**_ **?" along with "** _ **Spellbound**_ **", but again they have to wait. I am very glad you are enjoying the story and hopefully you are reading this chapter and keep reading along with enjoying it as well.**

 **The episode I chose to do was** _ **Switched**_ **and I will stop your supposed excitement…no Nightingale will not be switching bodies with the girls, haha no I am not revealing what she is this early you all are insane. Now you may be saying why not? And I reply with…because I can. Simple answer yes? It is to be honest; I really want it to be something of a surprise when I reveal what she is and of course I will take guesses, but I will not tell you the truth until the reveal so haha...I am sorry if I am being cruel, but I enjoy suspense so I want to keep you all on the edge of your seats so please bear with me on this as I enjoy writing these things for you. Also you guys will soon see what Misty sent Nightingale in the mail so that is also a plus so…yaaaah.**

 **Oh and I hope you guys aren't disappointed…I am a bit rusty after my break.**

 **Anyways I should get on with the story right?**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans, period. I also do not own the transcript for this chapter, the only thing I own is Nightingale and the plot to this story so that's about it.**

 **On into the story we go**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Switched**

 _Somewhere in the city_

A lone spotlight faced towards a closed red curtain only to soon creep open by unseen forces, revealing a crude background containing a poorly drawn Titan's Tower along with the vague representations of skyline of Jump City. Suddenly the sound of clattering wood fills the silent air of the empty and lifeless stage as a wooden marionette dropped down from the top of the stage ceiling as it was revealed to be almost an exact copy of the titular leader of the Teen Titans the mouth moved skillfully as it started to speak showing its nutcracker type mouth to be fully functioning, but the voice had a different pitch to as if the speaker was trying to mimic the voice as a satirical type of piece.

"Titans! Go!" he shouted as he bounded across the stage, but it seemed to notice that it was not being followed by its supposed fellow titans, as it looked back towards the area it was at only a few small leaps ago. "Hey!"

Other figures started to slowly move onto the stage revealing more of the titans as marionettes, the three female members of the group did not however contain that nutcracker mouth, as the voices were supplied again by the mysterious figure pulling the strings as they all seemed to show a hesitation towards the lead puppet as if they were already prepared for defeat.

"Aren't you guys coming?" the Robin puppet asked towards his teammates as he seemed like he was trying to rally the titans for battle, but even his question was not enough to change their minds as the first puppet to speak was Raven as the others chimed in about how the Puppet King was unbeatable and the surrender was the only way, even Nightingale was voicing her concerns before Beast Boy finally voiced his own opinion.

"Dude, I think we already have…" as the green painted puppet made a gesture to look up as the entire group stared up into the rafters as they threw their arms up in fear…or what could be expressed as fear for them as the platform above them to reveal their puppeteer. A short, squat fellow dressed in a military dress uniform and sash loomed over the side controlling each member with ease as his face was unable to be seen aside from a pair of protruding eyes looking down at them all as no emotion could be read as a small outline of a crown could be seen. The voice that rung though the air sounded haunting as the Puppet King let go of the crosspieces in his grasps as he spoke.

"Bravo, Bravo. But enough rehearsal." The titans clattered to the floor lifeless as the curtain started to close on them. "Time to start the show." The red curtains finally closed on the stage as a small cackle could be heard.

 _Elsewhere at the Titan's Tower_

It had been a few weeks since Nightingale, Cy and Beast Boy had left Raven's mind and returned back to the real world. The two female members showed a bit more respect towards each other, making the other members of the team take notice at their small acknowledgements to each other during downtime along with a few instances on patrols. Nightingale dressed for her patrol later had been sitting in her room adjusting the calibrations on her newly upgraded shock batons that she created from her old staff as she waited eagerly for the mail for her improved staff along with her request from Misty, she could only guess that both parties had written a strongly worded letter towards her reckless behavior, but she could deal with it. She heard a loud knock on her door causing her to jump as the wires from her headphones thumped lightly against her chest as she slid them off, soft classical music flowed softly through the air for a moment before she paused the song as she stood up, walking slowly to her door and sliding it open to reveal her favorite orange alien giving her a smile and a wave as if she was trying to apologize for interrupting her.

"Hello friend Nightingale, I was wondering if you have seen the others, but it seems you have been in your room…could you help me locate them?" the alien girl said chipper like as she earned a small nod from the black-haired heroine as she went back to her desk to grab her batons, putting one on her left than moving to her right side of her utility belt, lifting her quiver of arrows of the ground and hefting her collapsible bow over her shoulder causing the alien girl to raise her eyebrow. "Why are you armed?"

"Huh? Oh sorry it's just I was prepping for my patrol when you knocked, but I don't mind helping you find the guys." She gave her a reassuring smile as she started to move back towards the entrance of her room as Starfire moved down the hallway, the two of them talking in ideal chatter over patrol assignments that they have been given lately until they stepped into the Ops center hearing a familiar incantation fill her ears as she looked up to see Raven meditating. She noticed Star causally walk over to the floating teammate as if interrupting her concentration was something a normal person would do, which it would be, but Nightingale tried to stop her alas it was too late. Starfire repeated her name over and over again trying to get her attention before she even asked her question, her black-haired companion however started to approach the meditating teammate as her arrows began to move in her quiver, making her try to walk softer.

"Please forgive my interruption, but have you seen Robin?" she asked the violet haired team member, only to earn a swift reply of no with a hit of irritation behind it. "Oh…perhaps you have seen Cyborg?"

"No." Raven replied again, the agitation was starting to become apparent in her voice as Nightingale placed her hand gently on Star's shoulder, making the alien girl turn to her for a second only to turn back to ask if she had seen Beast Boy as well. "My eyes are closed, Starfire, I haven't seen anyone."

"Starfire I think that it is best that we look somewhere else for the guys, they will turn up eventually." Nightingale commented, earning a nod from the green eyed girl as she started to turn away from Raven as the black-haired heroine glanced over at the floating teammate trying to think of a way of apologizing for disturbing her, but Star seemed to beat her to the punch though what she said wasn't what she would have gone for.

"Perhaps we should do the hanging out, we never have before, and conceivably it could be fun. We could journey to the mall of shopping, or perform braiding maneuvers upon each other hair or…" Starfire said happily, sure it would be nice to have a girl's day with just the three of them…but from the menacing aura that was coming from Raven was enough to put both of the girls in a slightly panicked feeling as it was hard to tell what her expression was since she still had her back towards them. "You wish to be alone?" her voice slightly quivered as she started to back away from the angered empath as Nightingale shook her head as she started to walk away towards the island, barely hearing Raven's words as she gave Star an encouraging smile for trying as the only other female in the room tried to go back to meditating, but she was soon interrupted by a familiar and loud team member's voice.

"Mail Call!" Cyborg yelled loudly as he and the boys entered the ops room, causing a small shocked cry to escape from Raven's mouth as she lost her concentration and fell onto the floor with a loud thud causing a choke of laughter to escape from Nightingale's mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter towards her fallen comrade, only to earn an angry glare from her as she started to get up. She watched as the boys had brought in a large wooden crate, making her slightly sad that it wasn't her package, but her excitement came back when she noticed Robin was carrying two smaller packages while he strolled over to her holding them out.

"These look like they are for you, don't worry we didn't look in them." she nodded towards him as she took them from his hands, the excitement was slowly bubbling as she noticed both didn't contain return addresses, which was a relief as she could tell that he seemed very curious at where her mail was coming from. She didn't catch the conversation the others were having a she put both packages under her shoulder keeping a tight grip on them as she tried to think of how much time she would have after patrol to make sure everything was there when she heard them open the crate as a few members looked inside as gasps of awe escaped from their mouths catching everyone's attention now as they all started to move closer to the box, curiosity filling her thoughts as she spotted Cyborg reach in and bring out a puppet that was strikingly similar to the bionic man, it even had a light up eye to go along with it. The others reached in as well and one by one each of them soon had a miniature copy of themselves held up by strings all except one.

Nightingale looked down at the bottom of the box and spotted her own left alone at the bottom. Her mind was having a small war inside as it was partially screaming at her not to pick it up while the other side had her curiosity peaked in interest as her free hand reached down picking up the marionette by the base of its body as the crosspieces clattered against the wall of the box as she inspected the piece, the craftsmanship was exquisite to be expected…but something felt off about the wooden body in her hand. Her packages dropped to the floor as she continued to inspect the it's craftsmanship as an odd shiver went up her spine her fingers brushed up against the hair on the puppet, slightly upset that it felt like a faux wig before she grabbed the top of the head as she started to squeeze absentmindedly as her mind started to change from curiosity to an emotion she hadn't felt in a while…fear. She could feel the wood start to snap under her fingers as it finally cracked causing the others to watch as the puppet's head had been crushed as Nightingale stood there silently as Robin was the first one to make a move towards her.

"Nightingale are you…" before he could finish his sentence he noticed the slight amount of fear inside her eyes subside as she blinked for a moment, looking down at the now broken and cracked head of her puppet. A splinter of wood pierced into her fingers as she shook her head trying to pull herself back together before she spoke.

"Sorry I just…" she dropped the puppet back into the box hearing a thud echo for a moment as she tried to regain her train of thought as she paused for a moment. "I…I just don't have a fondness for puppets."

"It didn't mean that you had to smash its face, dude." Beast Boy spoke up as he was using his puppet to talk, but he was very poor at it. "What if it was a fan that made them? You just destroyed their work."

"What fan would send their idols puppets of them in the first place?" She replied calmly as she started to get the splinters out of her fingers before she picked up her packages as she started to walk out of the room ignoring Beast Boy's protests as she started to exit the ops room leaving the others in silence until the boys started to have playful banter as their puppets started to fight, causing Raven to roll her eyes at their antics, her eyes lingering on the now closed doors as she wondered what had gotten under Nightingale's skin about the puppets as she heard the clattering of wood near her ear a she turned to see Starfire playing with her own mini copy, though she could guess what she was wanting to do being as the boys were busy with their own little fight and seemed to be getting a bit too into it. She tossed her puppet at her before walking off and exiting the room as well, making Starfire watch her with a puzzled look for only a moment as she soon started to make the puppets play fight.

Raven walked down the hall as she spotted Nightingale reaching her door as she held her packages on her hands, opening one with her free hand as the door opened itself as she walked into her room as she moved closer. The odd spell of curiosity had started to fill Raven's mind as her body started to move a bit faster to try and catch her opening the boxes, but she only caught a small glimpse of the lid being pulled open before the small crack disappeared, leaving her alone in the silent hallway as the curiosity faded as she started to move past her door, the small amount of wonder on her mind was more focused on who would send her something in the first place, but she soon shook the thought from her head as she reached her room trying to calm herself to tranquil thoughts before she continued her interrupted meditation from earlier.

 _Later on in the middle of the night_

The ops room was filled with a sense of calm and quiet from the events from earlier in the day as nightfall had approached while silence soon fell all over Titans Tower, but one person was still wide awake as she sat there in her room calibrating her new staff pressing the button a few times to see the ends spark for a moment only to fizzle out for the moment causing a displeased look to appear on her soft features. Alfred had decided to be cheeky for once and sent her the staff with the wires not correctly linked together as it showed the butler's dark side. She looked over at the letter he had sent with the staff saying that it was her job to keep her equipment in check so he took the liberty of making the wires her priority, also more of the letter explained that Batman was starting to store her information she was giving him into a secure file, but that didn't interest her as much while she glazed over the comment looking over the instructions he had left on the bottom of the second page of the letter. They weren't vague, no it was like being taught step by step how to do it, but the charge wires weren't putting out enough juice to knock an average sized male out. She let out a groan as she dragged her hands down her face, feeling frustrated by it all as he eyes landed on her other package as it laid sprawled out on her bed as she got up from her chair to look over the items.

The first was a small worn brown leather booklet engraved with small vines on the front and back right corners as she picked it up flipping through the blank pages letting out a small sigh of relief, at least one of the people she relied on for things was nice enough to give her something good. She looked at the other item on her bed seeing the sheets were trying to swallow it into a sea of grey as she scooped it up in her free hand revealing a small clear crystal arrowhead tied with a black leather wrap held onto neck of it tightly as she inspected it carefully, running her finger along the jagged sides before tapping the tip gently, but the sharpness was apparent as she winced for a second pulling her finger towards her mouth as the taste of blood filled her senses. The arrowhead filled with a dark cloud for a moment as the blood on the tip started to disappear into the clear body before it along with the darkness disappeared altogether as she let out a happy little sigh as she took her finger out of her mouth as she lifted the leather wrap over her head as she prepared to place it around her neck, but she paused for a moment as she heard something moving outside her door before moving down the hallway in a quick motion. She quickly turned on her heels towards her door as she rushed over to it, as it opened enough for her to look outside she glanced down the hallway catching a small glimpse of a figure running. She hissed in anger as she reached for her quiver of arrows and her batons, leaving the book and arrowhead sprawled on her bed as she rushed out of her room, pulling her collapsible bow out and expanding it as she pulled an arrow out of it place after switching off her light in her room.

She crept down the hallway slowly trying to keep her footsteps light so whoever was in the tower would not be alerted to her presence as she heard another door slide open revealing Starfire stepping out of her room spotting Nightingale ready to aim and attack something…or someone. The black-haired girl placed her arrow back into its quiver glad that someone other than her heard the noises as she held a finger up to her mouth signaling her to be silent for a moment as the girl's looked down at the end of the hallway as they started to search for whom ever was roaming around the tower, she heard Starfire near the stairs, making her move closer until she heard a cackling laugh echo from the hallway behind her as the orange skinned alien appeared behind her following as she pull an arrow out again ready to at least send a warning shot. The two traveled down the hall to hear the cackle again making Nightingale's hair stand on end as she scanned the darkness wondering who could even get past the alarms as she heard Starfire speak at a normal volume.

"If this is a joke, it is not…" she was cut off by the sound of a door opening causing both girls to turn around to see a silhouette in the darkness causing the latter to scream while the other was ready to shoot off her arrow until the piercing sound of a familiar scream filled her ears making her lower her weapon to notice that it was Raven as both of the girls started to calm down, but the uneasy feeling hadn't gone away as she scanned the area around them. "Raven! Are you hearing the strange noises as well?"

"You mean the sound of you talking and her lurking around in her loud boots? Hard to really miss." The violet haired girl replied in a slightly angry tone as Starfire gave an embarrassed blush as she was about to explain what they were doing when Nightingale heard a the sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon charging up as she rushed forwards pushing the two out of the way of an incoming attack as the blast slammed her against the wall causing her to cry out in pain as she slid down the wall, seeing through blurry eyes two other titans appearing out of the shadows showing the other male members of the group as Robin rushed forward leaping into the air to aim a kick towards Starfire's face while Beast Boy changed into a Utahraptor rushing towards the cloaked companion. Nightingale scrambled to her feet as she took aim with her bow towards Cyborg, but he was already on her slamming his fist into her stomach causing her to gasp loudly as air escaped from her lungs before a hiss of pain rumbled out of her throat as she focused on his face.

"Cyborg look I don't know what's wrong…" she spoke in labored breath as she saw that his human eye was glowing a blue color as she felt his fist release pressure giving her a chance to duck down and scramble away as he moved over to attack the others thinking that his original target was incapacitated. She stood up again and went after him putting her bow over her shoulder and grabbing her shock batons ready to fry his circuits only to see that he had disappeared, but she soon guessed where he would have gone, seeing Raven get knocked back by Beast Boy into the waiting bionic man's free arm while his other held Starfire tightly. She rushed forward and positioned herself between the two incoming titans and Cyborg trying to figure out who she should attack first as the others struggled in his grip.

"Friends, why do you attack us?" Starfire cried out in confusion at their sudden hostility, reading Nightingale's mind hoping to hear an answer from the boys, but seeing the others with the same glowing blue eyes already made her fear the worst when she heard a chilling voice finally give a response.

"Oh these aren't your friends anymore." The figure finally stepped out of the shadows revealing a small and stout figure wearing a military dress uniform with a sash running from one shoulder to his lower body. A crown adorned his large head as she noticed his large head contained black hair as large bulging eyes protruded out of his head as his hinged mouth moved like a nutcracker as he continued. "They are my puppets…these are your friends." He pulled something from behind his back causing Nightingale's eyes to steel over as she gritted her teeth in anger spotting the boys puppets from the boxes speaking and asking to be helped as Starfire gasped loudly as Raven barked for them to be released as anger filled her voice as she felt something knock her to the floor as Robin's foot pressed against her back holding her in place as she looked up at the Puppet King.

"Sorry, but you are no longer in charge here, you do not command me." The Puppet King replied as he held up a crosspiece with six colors on them, three colors were already lit while the last three colors contained an orange and a blue unlit while the middle color was black. "I command you now." As he spoke those final words Beast Boy and Robin help up Raven and Starfire's puppets, but the Puppet King looked over at Nightingale holding her broke puppet with his free hand. "With the Puppet King pulling your strings the Teen Titans will command this entire city…but you ruined your vessel you little troublemaker…but no matter my puppets will deal with you before they even take over this city."

Nightingale let out an animalistic snarl as her eyes flashed purple in anger as she squirmed under Robin's foot, trying to reach for one of her batons as she watched out of the corner of her eyes seeing two souls being taken out of the two free remaining titans, making her want to fight harder as she finally reached it grabbing onto it and pressing a button causing sparks to charge out of it, but the sound of Raven's mantra filled her ears as a black burst of energy escaped from her forehead and slammed the others away as it flared over the entire hall giving her a chance to stand up and rush over to her fallen comrades hearing that the Puppet King had let go of his controller hefting the girls onto their feet.

"Run damn it!" she yelled as they sprinted off away from the boys and the wooden marionette down to the basement as they tried to find a place to hide finally spotting a grate covering a small cubby area under the floor. She and the two other pulled it up quickly siding under as it closed behind them as they were able to catch their breaths as Nightingale leaned against the wall holding her stomach in the darkness as she could only see the others eyes in the dark as she heard the boys run pass them as Starfire spoke softly.

"The boys…Raven, Nightingale what are we going to…" she heard someone shuffle to move their arm up as the soft click of a hanging light bulb was being turned on letting off a small hum as Nightingale looked towards where Star's voice came from…only to see Raven there as she looked the other way to see Starfire staring towards Raven with an expression only the latter would wear as they gave each other a bewildered look as Nightingale let out a groan of confusion as she started to speak.

"Please don't tell me…" she placed her lone baton into its holster as the girls finally figured out that they weren't in their normal bodies as black energy came out of Raven's forehead shooting towards the light, getting rid of their only light source as another groan escaped from her mouth before they all fell silent, trying to think of a way to fix the predicament that they all were in.

 _Later_

The girls had traveled through a passage under the tower as Nightingale used her communicator as light and a map so they wouldn't get lost wondering how much longer until they would reach a manhole when her prayers seemed to be answered as she saw the lights from the streets pouring into the holes on the cover she signals for the others to stop as she turned her communicator off as she climbed up the metal steps up to see if she could spot anything out of the holes only to duck down back into the shadows when she saw a familiar green hawk fly over making her dropped down scaring the hooded girl with the soul of sunshine incarnate to cause manhole cover to shoot up in the air making Nightingale give her a slight glare as she heard the cover clatter to the ground as the cloaked girl rushed to fix her mistake by climbing up the ladder stopping the cover from making any more noise as she climbed out giving a thumbs up for an all clear sign. Nightingale let Raven climb up before her as she soon ascended after her.

"Oh, Raven and Nightingale this is awful! Terribly and truly awful!" she could hear Starfire speaking as she climbed out of the undergrounds, feeling she stomach twinge in pain making her stumble for a moment until Raven caught her, making her look up to see a neutral expression on her face before she spoke.

"Tell me about it." the small hint of sarcasm could be heard coming out of her mouth, but it seemed as if Starfire wasn't paying attention as she soon started to list off what was going on as if they had not witnessed it.

"Cyborg, Beast Boy and Robin have been trapped inside tiny wooden bodies and a nasty creature called the Puppet King has taken control of their real bodies, Nightingale is injured from getting punched and stepped on…" she went on and on as her voice started to sound panicked as the black-haired heroine noticed a few parking meters start to bend with black aura around them as the newspaper boxes soon started to spill their contents everywhere as a mailbox was the final victim to suffer from Starfire not understanding Raven's powers before the latter reached out and grabbed her shoulder startling her.

"Starfire! You need to calm down; my powers are driven by emotions. The more you feel, the more energy is released." Raven replied calmly as if she was not affected by the sudden surge of energy as Nightingale's right arm started to shake during the whole thing as she tried to cover it up before the two of them could see it as she strolled up to meet them.

"Raven is right, you need to really calm down before our cover is blown." Nightingale commented as she could see the cloaked girl wearing a nervous expression meaning that she possibly just made her worry worse.

"But what if they do find us? What if our friends are doomed?" she spoke frantically as she grabbed the hood out of fear. "What if I am stuck looking like this forever?" Nightingale grabbed her hands and squeezed them trying to calm her down, but she didn't know if it was even working…she hated feeling like she wasn't helping as she felt Raven place her free hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at her, still not used to having to look up to someone she was used to talking to at almost eye level.

"We'll fix this, I don't know how, but we will rescue them and we will get our bodies back." Raven tried to sound confident, but it wasn't reassuring as she paused for a moment looking over at her body. "What's wrong with the way I look?" Starfire tried to say nothing, but a nearby pedestrian crossing sign above them exploded, revealing that she was trying to hide something. She even tried to calm herself down, though even that ended in tragedy as a parked car near them soon went flying into the air only to crash back to the ground upside down as an alarm started to go off giving their location.

A cry from above caused them all to look up and spot the form of Beast Boy still as a hawk flying above the rooftops as he started to turn towards their direction as he bared his talons at them as he took a sharp decent towards them. Nightingale grabbed both girls by the arms as she rushed into an alleyway nearby as a twitch of pain surged through her body as she pushed the forwards yelling at them to run for it as she bursted after them feeling Beast Boy just brush by the skin of her teeth as she followed after them, spotting Raven flapping her arms trying to fly, but to no avail as they turned a few more corners before slowing to a walk while Nightingale limped slightly feeling her injuries starting to catch up to her.

"We cannot fight them again, I do not wish to and in our present conditions we would surely be defeated." Starfire's voice sounded hopeless as she pointed towards Nightingale who was now leaning against an alley wall for support as she tried to catch her breath as her stomach screamed in pain. Raven noticed the pained expression on her face before she spoke up.

` "Okay how do you fly this thing?" she asked pointing to her new body, but even Star's response was slightly vague as she said something about feeling flight, but that wasn't a good explanation as she continued on saying something about unbridled joy of flight as Nightingale felt herself losing energy the more they talked until she head a gasp come from Star as she pointed forwards revealing Beast Boy had changed his form to a green tiger and was stalking down the other side of the alley as they all started to slowly back away as Nightingale reached for her shock baton charging it up as they two continued talking.

"What do I have to feel to use starbolts?"

"Righteous fury."

"Your alien strength?"

"Boundless confidence."

"Never mind." Raven commented as she started to run the way they had once came as she dragged Starfire along as Beast Boy bound forwards only to receive a quick shock from an electric baton before the black-haired heroine followed after them as they started to turn down a darkened stretch of alley only to again be stopped by another mind controlled titan, this time Robin cut them off as both girls gasps as Nightingale pushes them back the other way ready to fight her brainwashed companion. They only back up a few feet to hear a low grumble of a large cat behind them seeing that the large green feline was now blocking their only exit as they turned on their heels and back up feeling themselves bump into their fellow member as she seems ready to fight, but Raven glanced over her shoulder to see that she was holding her side with her free arm as her shock baton hummed alive in the other when she noticed her hand was counting down from three as the boys started to move closer to them making her nudge Star to make her notice as well. The familiar sound of Robin drawing his staff could be heard as the girls stayed silent waiting for them to make a move, the boy wonder was the first to start running towards Nightingale as Beast Boy let out a roar as he bound forward pouncing off the ground as the girls saw her last finger hit her side.

"Now!" she yelled as all three girls sidestepped away from the boys and pressed themselves against the opposite walls as the two brainwashed members crashed into a heap on the ground after colliding in mid-air giving the girls enough time to escape from them down another alley while the boys were trying to get back onto their feet. Nightingale ducks into another side alley and put her electric baton away as Raven following suit into the new spot, but Starfire was about to run past only to be grabbed by her cloak and hauled into their hiding spot as they pressed themselves against the wall trying to blend in as the boys ran past them. Nightingale let out a small sigh of relief as she looked at the others to see the same relief filled look on their faces…but it didn't last long as two large bionic hands smashed the wall the two were against causing Starfire to scream in terror before being propelled upwards by a burst of telekinetic energy as Raven and Nightingale soon rush after her as the bionic man still was getting out of the wall. They rounded another corner again to find Starfire had finally stopped, but the realization that they had hit a dead end was extremely apparent as the two of them turned to see the boys had finally caught up to them pushing them against the brick wall.

Nightingale pulled her bow off her shoulder as she reached for an arrow, only to be stopped by Raven grabbing her hand shaking her head as if it was a way of telling her that it wasn't the right time to use them before she looked over to Starfire and grabbing her hand as well. "If I can't fly, you have to levitate, you know those words I always…" She was cut off by a quick reply as Star sucked in a huge breath as she was about to say it not heading Raven's warnings as she hastily said the mantra loudly causing her to go up like a rocket as Raven was dragged along as Nightingale winced at the sudden force the pulled her up along with the two girl's screaming in her ears as they started to gain too much altitude causing her ears to pop in the process as she felt them stop in mid-air before the soon barreled over the trios head, causing her stomach to drop making her feel sick as they soared again over roof level to begin climbing again. She could hear Starfire yelling over the wind that was being created by her flying as Raven was replying back, but only muffled voices could be heard making her wonder what they were talking about…only to notice that they were soon dropping like rocks as they slammed into a pile of trash between two building, but she was only a bit lucky as she rolled of the slight cushion of garbage only to crash down onto the asphalt as a wave of pain flowed through her body making her almost scream, but Raven covered her mouth to muffle it as she looked over the pile only to start shoveling free bags from the ground as Starfire tried to ask what was wrong only to get her mouth covered as well to try and shush her before pressing herself against a wall as well as throwing a trash bag at Star causing her to sink down as well when they boys walked past them not even noticing their presence.

Nightingale sits up slowly as she grips her side in pain as she bit her lip trying not to make a noise as she moved to hide herself better behind the wall of trash near the girls. Starfire was trying to control Raven's powers again, but to no avail as she started to mutter her own small mantra as Raven signaled that they were gone. The three girls peer out of their own openings to watch two of the members walking away…but where was Beast Boy? Speak of the Devil and he shall appear was the old saying as a large green rat appeared into view as Starfire almost gasped giving away their cover, but Raven covered her mouth as the three members remained still before a familiar voice echoed through the alley telling him to stop searching for them. The mind controlled titans look up to where the voice was coming from as it continued.

"We will find the other two and that troublemaker once the ceremony is completed." The Puppet King loomed down at his controlled subjects holding the puppets with the boys' souls in them, causing Nightingale to shake with rage as he eyes again flashed purple causing both girls to take notice for only a second before they heard the boys asking what type of ceremony was going to happen. "Just a little spell that will destroy you three and make your bodies mine forever…come my puppets."

They soon left the alley as pregnant silence filled the air as they all waited to leave their hiding spot, Nightingale was the first to exit followed by Raven tugging at Star's auburn locks trying to get them untangled as Star was the last leave the spot.

"How can you stand having so much hair?" Raven commented in annoyance, but her question went unheard as she watched Starfire rush forward a bit saying that they had to save their friends only to earn an angered reply. "And what? Save them with my unstable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits while an injured teammate tries to pick up the pieces? Nice flying by the way."

"At least I am able to fly! On my planet even a newborn can unleash the joy of flight, but you are too busy being grumpy and rude to feel anything at all!" Starfire retorted back towards her causing tension to rise further and further.

Soon Nightingale was watching them go into a full blown argument as Starfire was starting to get angrier and angrier with every passing moment as a black aura formed around her body. Hearing them argue was enough to make her want to rip her hair out as she quickly walked over to them pushing both of them a distance away from each other.

"Enough of this damn it! Standing here and arguing isn't going to save our friends from certain doom. It also isn't helping when you both are screaming at the top of your lungs over something so petty as not understanding each other?" she looked back and forth between the both of them as they realized what they were doing as she let out a rough sigh, holding her stomach as she felt a another wave of pain caused her to double over wondering if all the running they were doing was making it worse, only to notice the girls move a bit closer noticing her pain as well. "I am only slowing you both down at the moment, so I have a plan that might be a bit risky, but it will work." Each of the girls began to listen closely as she started to explain.

"I will rush ahead and get captured by them, but before you both protest I will have my communicator on so you will be able to track where they are taking me. In the meantime you two try to understand each other, get a grasp on what your powers are like and explain them to the best of your ability, even going into your life story to understand each other is better than standing here arguing." Both girls hesitated before nodding their heads in agreement towards the plan as they told her to be careful as she started to walk down path the boys had gone, glancing around every few moments before rushing ahead spotting the Robin's boot pass around a corner. Pulling out her grappling gun and shooting it at a corner, tugging on it to make sure it was secure as she began to bring herself up above them while creeping across the rooftop paying attention to their movements as she slowly turned her communicator on. She positioned herself ahead of them as she drew her bow off her shoulder and quickly getting out an arrow, not aiming to harm…just to let them know she was there as they continued along following their supposed master.

Nightingale drew the notch further towards her cheek as she took in a deep breath waiting until she had one in the perfect position before letting her arrow fly, hearing it pierce the ground in front of Cyborg's foot was enough to get their attention as she heard the Puppet King scream for them to grab her as she started to run to the end of the roof before jumping across to the other, stumbling slightly at the sudden change from a flat top to a rough gravel before moving forward, hearing the familiar flap of pterodactyl wings as she could feel his claws digging into her shoulders and lifting her up into the air only to drop her a few feet ahead and crash into a small pile of garbage. A groan left her throat as her whole body was now starting to ache as she pulled herself up, seeing Robin's staff pointed towards her as she gave him a smirk as she grabbed the end pointed at her and slammed it into his chin causing him to lose his balance for a moment as Cyborg stood there brainless for a moment until he charged his sonic cannon, blasting it towards her as she dodged away from the first shot, but the second one was unexpected as she was slammed into a brick wall having an odd sense of déjà vu as she could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness hearing the muffled voice of the Puppet King speak to her before the world went dark.

 _Even later than before_

Nightingale felt something heavy holding her together as she started to open her eyes as a ringing sensation started to fill her head as a low groan escaped from her throat as her vision started to focus where she was noticing the brick walls of the alley were now replaced by the inside of a worn theater as she noticed why her chest and stomach felt tight at the moment seeing as she was now tied to a chair with old molded seat foam leaking out of one of the corners before taking in the scene before her, spotting a cauldron like bowl on the stage before her spilling out blue flames ever few seconds as if it was searching for something to burn as the candles around it seemed to dance around as if they were unaware of the larger fire burning above them as they boys puppets hung in the air helpless. As she stared above at the broken parts of the auditorium wonder where in Jump City she was as she head a slow wooden clap as someone was walking towards her.

"You are very strange hero, from the injuries you sustained you are still able to wake up after it all." spoke the Puppet King as appeared out of the shadows before her causing her to curl her fist up in anger as she struggled, only to gasp out in pain as her struggling against the tight rope was causing her bruises she had earned from earlier to burn in pain. "But your ignorance of your own pain is incredible as well…though your vessel is destroyed doesn't mean I can't still try and put you in it." He held her broken puppet up as the air was starting to escape her lungs as she could feel something being pulled from her body as a horrendous scream expelled from her throat as a purple colored soul started to escape from her chest as the Puppet King started to cackle loudly, but something was going wrong as he looked down towards his controller, noticing small cracks were starting to form in the center where the purple color was now flickering. Glancing up his hinge mouth hung open as he watched the purple soul struggle to escape as a guttural noise filled the air as purple light escaped from its body as it flashed through the auditorium causing him to cry out as it was satisfied before entering back into Nightingale's body.

She gasped loudly and started coughing as air started to return to her lungs as the light started to fade as she opened her eyes, her puppet now scorched beyond recognition as the Puppet King dropped it to the floor in a panic as he stared at her in horror…or something like that it's hard to read a puppet's expression. "W-What are you?!" she wasn't able to answer him as the sudden echo of a trapdoor filled the area, making everyone alerted to the presence of the girls breaking in, but the Puppet King composed himself as he sent Robin and Cyborg to search for them as he strolled up to the stage, though he seemed slightly panicked in his movements as he picked up a test tube filled with an unknown liquid over the fire as he started to monologue…making Nightingale roll her eyes as she felt the rope loosening a bit the more she struggled watching him tilt the tube as the liquid fell into the flames causing them to rise up as she could feel the heat lick her face from where she sat. The puppets were soon lowered to his awaiting hand as they started to squirm alive spotting Nightingale tied to a chair…did she hear Beast Boy say they were doomed?

"Don't worry I will take good care of their bodies, after all they will soon be mine forever." He holds them over the fire as she finally struggled to stand up and strain her arms as she felt the rope loosen more to the point of being able to shimmy out of it as she rushed towards the stage trying to reach him before he let go of their strings as time started to move in slowly as he let go when their screams started to reach her ears, but they soon stopped as black aura enveloped them, making her stop halfway up the steps as they started to float away while time sped up following where they went as they were soon grabbed by Starfire, crushing them in a tight hug as she was happy to have her friends safe for the moment. The Puppet King soon noticed where they were going and shouted angrily towards the controlled titans to retrieve the puppets while the boy wonder and Beast Boy rushed towards the girls as Nightingale moved around trying to find her weapons, only to be stopped by Cyborg, reaching towards he utility belt around her waist and pulling out her grappling gun and pointing it at his face.

"Sorry buddy…I hope this doesn't dent your face!" she aimed high and hit him square in the face, knocking him prone for a moment as she reeled the wire back into the gun as she aimed for the catwalk above as she spotted the girls running away from the incoming attack from Robin. Her hand shook as she aimed between where Robin was and where the girls were running as she pulled on the hook as she swung herself across the area using the worn theater seats as a propulsion method as she rose up in the air swinging her way around to the other side to propel herself into Robin, kicking him off the catwalk for the moment, but as she was about to stop herself on the bar her foot slipped causing her to tumble off hanging in the air pulling herself up on the thin wire as she heard the girls scream as Beast Boy popped up in front of them hauling there escape. Nightingale gritted her teeth as she finally reached the bar on the catwalk lifting herself up onto the platform as she rushed forward slamming into Cyborg who had made his way up to them as he shot off his sonic cannon, send both the girls and the puppets into different directions.

"No!" she screamed as she pushed past the boys kicking her foot into Robin's face stunning him for a moment as she slammed a smoke bomb disorienting the other two as she rushed forward looking to see where they all had gone seeing them trying to fly away as Beast Boy and Robin break through the smoke chasing after them, boy wonder going after Star while the green teammate went after Raven. Nightingale was about to rush after them, but something was running towards her in from the smoke as Cyborg tried to slam into her. She quickly maneuvered herself onto the side of the catwalk balancing her body as he stormed past; her stomach briefly felt pain as she jumped back and forth between the two bars as the bionic man shot his cannon at her as she glanced over her shoulder for a moment noticing Starfire was handling herself very well until she spotted Raven getting cornered by Beast Boy in gorilla form ready to smash her between his hands. Anger surged through her body as she swiftly kicked Cyborg in the face as she threw herself off the side, grabbing onto a cable and swinging herself towards Beast Boy's shoulder slamming her knees into it wincing slightly at the surge of pain as she landed on the platform, standing up shakingly as she held her fists up ready to fight the gorilla as he roared in her face reaching over her trying to slam Raven off the catwalk only to have Nightingale charge forward slamming into him knocking him a few feet back. "Don't you dare touch her!"

She started wailing on him as angered snarls left her mouth as her eyes bore the bright color of purple with every hit she landed on the large beast, but she was getting sloppy as the green ape grabbed her fist turning her arm around as a sick pop could be heard as she screamed bloody murder as she felt someone else slam into her from the side, knocking her off the catwalk as she slammed down onto the stage hearing Raven and Starfire scream her name as she fell, memories flashing in her mind of the night she almost died as she heard the old floorboards creek under her as she rolled away from the spot hearing the wood finally break as she tried to get up, but her body was wanting to give up. She could still hear the girls fighting as she spotted the boys puppets on the ground begging her to get up and help them…so she started to crawl towards them, pushing herself up more as she felt something dribble out of her mouth as she gritted her teeth reaching for them only to have them be rolled away as she saw the Puppet King move them away from her as his hinged mouth grinned at her. She looks up to see Raven had knocked Beast Boy down leaving Cyborg on the catwalk with her, but even he was soon knocked down…and heading straight for the boys. Nightingale tried to scramble forward to grab them, but a wooden boot slammed onto her right hand, causing her to scream in pain as she held her hand close to her chest as she watched in horror as the boys were almost crushed only to be saved by Starfire surrounding the falling metal man in black aura as she moves him away from the puppets causing a pained sigh of relief to escape from her mouth.

Starfire smiled down at Nightingale seeing her trying to reach the boys as she was still in pain, but a noise from above make her look up as a scream escape from her throat as Robin dropped down onto the catwalk snarling at her in anger as he started to approach, only to be slammed by Cyborg who was still under her control. Raven smiled down at Star for a moment as she hovered above her, glancing down at the black-haired heroine as she struggled to stand up on the stage only to stumble as she tried to get closer to the puppets, wondering how much more she could take when a growl from overhead startled her as Beast Boy attacked her again in gorilla form. She aimed her arm up trying to focus on making a starbolt only for a small amount of green energy to form on her fist as he swiped at her making her lose concentration making her retreat by flying away, only to be caught by her ankle hurling her back towards the catwalk. Raven was stunned for a moment when she hit the metal floor as she felt a haze cover her eyes for a moment as she tried to regain herself while Beast Boy cupped his hands together ready to smash her to bits. She gasped and rolled away at the last second as she looked over the railings to hear Starfire scream as she blocked one of Robin's barrage of attacks.

"Raven help!" she yelled while dodging another strike as Cyborg came up and charged towards her throwing a punch. Raven sadly was in her own predicament as a green hand grabbed her by the head lifting her up in the air as she struggled to try and kick him in the face. A loud snarl filled the air as she opened her eyes to see Nightingale hurling herself towards his face…but how the hell did she even get up here that fast as she could see the flash of purple fill her eyes as she slammed both her feet into his right side.

"I thought I told you not to touch her!" she snarled loudly as he lost his grip on Raven's head, giving her the chance to land on the catwalk safely as she saw the black-haired heroine had disappeared again only to be seen hanging from a low cable as she tried to lower herself safely back down to the ground to the stage in a hurry. Raven perched herself on the side of the catwalk as she called out Star's name, distracting her a moment from an incoming attack from Robin, causing Raven to react quickly pushing her purple soled feet off the rod as she hurled herself toward him, knocking him off the catwalk only to catch him by the corner of his cape leaving him hanging in the air.

"No not me, them!" Starfire yelled as she pointed towards the stage as the boys were now being held above the caldron by the Puppet King as she finally understood why they both were wearing panicked faces as her free hand started to blaze green watching Nightingale struggle down the stairs towards the stage screaming at the top of her lungs telling him to stop.

"NO!" she yelled as a green rage filled starbolt shot out of her hand towards the caldron causing a mini explosion as Nightingale rushed forward towards the stage only to be blocked by the sudden flash of green and blue as she covered her eyes, peaking through the gaps to see that the Puppet King along with the puppets separated as the landed on different parts of the stage. Rushing up towards the blazing blue fire covering the fire she spotted the king screaming about his controller as it was close to the flames. An odd smirk appeared on her face as she walked across the fire, flickers from the flames changed from blue to purple and back again as she moved past patches of it before she reached the controller placing her foot above it as the king tried to scramble for it.

"You are no longer in control termite breath…I hope you enjoy the pits of Hell!" she yelled at him as she crushed the controller under her foot, hearing the puppet scream at her before he started to tremble. More rattling could be heard as she turned to see the boys souls leaving their puppet bodies to return to their original host meaning…she looked up just to see the girls souls start to leave their temporary bodies and curl around each other before entering their regular bodies making her sigh happily as her night finally decided to turn back to normal. "Good…everything is goo…" she felt herself stumble for a moment as her knees slammed into the floor as she felt someone hold her up for a moment, spotting a familiar violet colored cloak holding her up in place. She turned her head and smiled at Raven, glad to see her back in her own body as she place a bit more weight on her to distribute herself better as the others were now coming down the stage, congratulating the girls on saving them as Starfire swept both of them into a tight and enthusiastic hug as Raven protested for a moment…only to hear a the voice of the Puppet King in agony causing Nightingale to turn quickly towards him pulling away from the girls.

"NOOOO!" he started to crawl towards her with the last of his strength as blue light poured out of his eyes and mouth as he grabbed onto her steeled toed boot. "The magic! Without it I'm just a…please forsa…"the lamination from his body started to fade as he collapsed on her foot slack jawed as he was unable to finish his sentence as she kicked him off her foot as the others watched her for a moment as she turned towards them.

"Can we…please just go home?" she asked calmly as the others nodded in agreement…although Raven watched her as her body language shifted to show discomfort as the final blue flame disappeared.

 _The next day, late in the afternoon_

Raven felt a sense that she had done this before as she meditated in the ops room as she started to say her mantra repeatedly trying to find her center as she tried to not think of what Nightingale had said to her the night before after they had all returned, but her mind wouldn't let it go as she closed her eyes fading into the memory as she remembered seeing Nightingale's body language change on the stage from her usual relaxed nature to something was trying to bury her current emotions away from her teammates, but her eyes could never lie as the azure spheres were filled with a worry and an emotion she thought she would never see there…panic. Was it because of the Puppet King's last words towards her…? Or was it something else bothering her?

"Raven forgive my interruption, but…" Starfire's voice caused Raven to lose her train of thought making her open her eyes as a small sigh escaped from her mouth as she started to speak.

"I haven't seen Robin, Cyborg, Nightingale or Beast Boy." She replied calmly, only to earn an unexpected reply from Starfire asking if she could join her in meditation causing the violet-haired empath to turn towards her. "Really? All right." The orange skinned alien flew over to her and assumed Raven's position as they both started to meditate as they both started to speak her mantra, but after the second chant a violet eye opened to look over at her companion. "Starfire? After this…would you like to go to the mall?" the auburn- haired girl nodded, but paused for a moment before speaking.

'Will friend Nightingale be able to come with?" she asked curiously, but before Raven could answer the alien girl grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up from her sitting position to drag her towards the black-haired heroine's room to ask her as she was about to protest only to see that her door was already open spotting her cross legged on her bed with her guitar on her lap. She wore a lose fitting grey sweater with a parts of a purple shirt poking out from under the waist as baggy sweatpants covered her legs while her black hair was tied in a bun with blue chopsticks poking out of it like a decoration of sorts. A white bandage covered her right cheek as another adorned her left hand as she stretched out her fingers causing them to twitch slightly before setting them back down onto the cords as she tested if they were tuned only to tense when she hit the thin E string adjusting it properly as she still ignored the two girls hovering near the entrance of her room. Raven spotted a small booklet on her bed with tabs covering the pages scrawled in her hand writing as she turned the page with her bandaged hand trying to find the right song before landing on one called " _Dearly Beloved_ " grabbing the clamp and clipping it to the middle of the neck and placing her right fingers against the fret as she began to slowly start playing. The melody was simple and soft as it flowed through the air drawing them further into the room as she continued to play as her eyes started to close as she tried to forget what she had done to herself last night…but the memories wouldn't fade as she felt them crawl back into her mind like an unwanted guest as she continued to play.

 _Nightingale had rushed into her room as she waved good night to Starfire searching frantically for her medical kit she had stashed away in her room before grabbing it from under her bed. Her whole body ached as she stumbled to get the bottle of pain killers from the box only to stumble every time cursing under her breath as she lied on the floor motionless as she tried to think of a way to calm herself down before the pain started to stress her out...maybe Raven could heal her…she shook the thought from her mind as she felt the pain crawl up from her legs to her head as it echoed loudly like a roaring wave as the thought of the book and arrowhead filled her thoughts as she crawled up to her bed reaching for both items and opening to a random blank page as she removed her glove from her right hand as small black dots started to appear on her skin as she dragged the sharp object against her palm wincing in pain before holding her clamped hand over the blank page as a droplet of blood pattered onto the page as her hand shook…_

"Nightingale?" Starfire's voice startled her causing her to stumble on the last cord as she opened her eyes seeing the two girls' look at her with slightly worried looks as she tried to figure out what they were looking at as she glanced down at her bandaged hand seeing blood seep through it causing her to stand up quickly as the guitar clattered onto the carpeted floor making a horrendous noise in the process as she rushed out of the room the orange skinned alien tried to stop her as the cloaked heroine watched her run away wondering what she was hiding from them as she walked further into her room as an uneasy feeling filled her mind only for it to disappear quickly as she rushed after the alien girl to see if she was alright as her chest squeezed tightly. Underneath her bed the arrowhead filled with the black cloud again before subsiding leaving the brilliant clear object glinted in the small amount of light hitting it as the leather booklet lay beside it the vines now filled with the color red coursing through the leather looked unnatural.

* * *

 **And that is the end of Chapter eight…sorry it took so long. I don't have a long author's note for the ending of this chapter; I'll save it for the next one lol. Anyways what was that all about with the Puppet King's last word huh? …I will not tell you. What author ruins their secrets? Anyways see you guys next chapter and please review and favorite to get updates on when the next chapter is up.**

 **Also it is indeed possibly to play** _ **Dearly Beloved**_ **on an acoustic guitar and it is beautiful. I say look it up on YouTube and look for a girl named AmaLee as well she does a cover of it and dear lord its fucking fantastic.**

 **Anyways I am out. Peace.**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Hey howdy hey hey guys it is I Anri with another chapter…and it's a normal one yaaaaaah dealing with nightmares that delve into the darkest parts of your mind? Hahaha…I am not joking I have trouble sleeping and my nightmares are hellish landscapes I do not wish upon other people. Anyways…hey I see you guys enjoyed the last chapter and I am glad about that. Also to touch on a fun subject I have to replace the front tires on my car because the weather where I am at changes every five minutes. Hey it's really cold outside. Give it five minutes trust me on that. Um…I really don't think any of you guys read these so I am gonna ramble for a second until I get a decent amount typed out before I continue to the story and I'll give you a little information on why this chapter is called** _ **Memories and**_ _ **Nightmares with a side of Sleep Walking**_ **…number one it's because I feel like it. Number two is because Nightingale is getting close to an anniversary of some sorts and the sadness that comes with it…I mean hell she lost her childhood innocence that night so why would it not bother her even now? Or is it another incident that she is worried about? Who knows~ lol I do. And finally sleep walking…because it sucks.**

 **So in this chapter Nightingale is going to…haha I am not ruining anymore of the chapter for you guys. I want you to enjoy it as you read along and feel the same things that she is feeling in this chapter…though she might get a bit closer to Raven so that is all else I can say about this. so…um…fuck this is short…oh wait I already have episodes from season two picked out and I have them already in a folder so muahaha I can't wait until she meets Terra…god it will be glorious and you will know what she truly is before I get into second season episodes…I can promise you that as an author so that is something to look forward to my lovelies. Raven and Nightingale's relationship will grow a lot more as well and I hope you also enjoy how it develops. Also if the chapter feels weird to read and I barely have dialogue for the other team members I will make it up next chapter in** _ **Masks**_ **! Yes that is the next episode chapter and we are slowly getting closer to the big reveal of what Nightingale is and her power perimeter.**

 **Any whooooo I really do hope you guys enjoy this. Putting my heart and sleep deprived soul into this so enjoy as much as you can.**

 **Onto the disclaimer!**

 **Disclaimer: STILL DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS NEVER WILL. I only own Nightingale and the story I am telling through her.**

 **ON WITH THE STORY…ow my throat hurts and I shouted that while typing…ow…I need hot tea with some honey and lemon…**

 **This chapter has been edited to the best of my ability.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Memories and Nightmares with a side of Sleep Walking**

Nightingale slammed into a street lamp causing it to bend a bit and her staff to clatter onto the side walk with Jinx smirked at her from across the way while Billy Numerous and the others were piling jewels and other things into bags while she was waiting for backup to arrive. Days have gone by since the Titans run in with the Puppet King and the city had begun to wind down with only a few incidences popping up, but nothing too extreme…well aside from the jewelry store being robbed at the moment by the H.I.V.E Five on her solo patrol. She had already put in an emergency ping on her location, but it was looking like it would take time before the others would even get here. She shook off the pain as she squeezed her right hand with the wound from a few days ago continued to ring with a continuous ache that wasn't going away. She picked up her staff charging the ends with electricity while charging forwards towards the pink haired magic user only to be knocked back by her pink energy blasts she called hexes with the other members of H.I.V.E Five's laughter echoing through the air filling her ears.

"Not such a big shot without your teammates huh?" Jinx asked in a snarky tone continuing her attack while the laughter echoed louder and louder in her head making her cover her ears with her body ached from every attack while her right hand pulsated with a piercing pain. She growled lowly under her breath looking up at her enemies while the world around her started to melt away, but she didn't care bring herself up to a standing position. She walked closer to the group making a mad rush forward for one final attack only for everything to dissipate into thin grey smoke around her. The streets of Jump City soon melted into a familiar and haunting setting with the darkened skyline of Gotham City rising around her. The ground around her shook underneath her feet feeling herself rise among the other towering buildings with an all too similar sensation filled her mind. She pulled out her kukri out from its sheath not knowing that her equipment has suddenly changed when the rain began to fall pelting her body. She scanned the roof top as the sound of loud cackling could be heard all around her while her other hand soon was weighed down by another kukri feeling the muscles in her body tighten mentally preparing herself for what was coming.

The form of the Joker exited out from the shadows of the Wayne Enterprise building while his cackles began to rattle inside her mind making her focus on ignoring them. She rushed forward with a loud and guttural yell escaped from her throat with the momentum that was pushing her forwards. The Joker blocked all her attacks slicing her chest like before with the blood slowly bubbled out of the wound, but this time she had the upper hand. She hurled the kukri from her left hand away and grabbed his wrist catching him by surprise before slamming the butt of her other weapon into his elbow dislocating it in the process causing him to howl in pain stumbling backwards on the rain soaked roof. She was about to raise her weapon to finish him off when she felt something go through her back and pierce through her heart. She felt a gurgling sensation in her throat moving her head to look down to see her dropped weapon from before had been shoved through her upper back and forced roughly through her sternum seeing the upper part of the blade sticking out while a blood stain slowly forming around it. She turned her head to try and see who had attacked her with more of the red liquid dripping out from the wounds on her body. Her eyes widened at copy of herself standing across the roof making her think that her vision was starting to play tricks on her with every blink started to bring the copy closer and closer to her before turning her right round to face her.

This Nightingale however was different than the original as her starch white hair whipped around in the wind with what little skin that was being shown to be as pale as freshly fallen snow. Her costume displayed opposite colors with a pair of purple eyes staring down at her while wearing a maniacal grin on her face. She gingerly took her other weapon from her hand pulled her close for a moment sliding the weapon ever so slowly into her abdomen causing her to cough up blood over her shoulder staining the white costume with more dribbling out. Her body shuttered trying to struggle a bit causing her wounds to expel more of the dark liquid to drip down onto the flooded roof feeling the hot breath of the copy near her ear hearing the words spill out of her mouth in a hush tone.

' _Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…it's getting closer…_ ' it hummed into her ear making a shiver run through her whole body at the sound of its haunting voice understand fully what it had meant. She was about to reply when she felt the copy tear out the kukri from her abdomen causing a piercing scream to escape from her throat causing her to collapse to the ground her head bowed while she tried to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the wounds. She felt the copy lift her up by her hair so she could pull the second blade out throwing her to the ground again with a force no human should be capable of doing with cracks formed around her. A dull and lifeless feeling came over her being unable to move her body as she watched in horror when her double rushed forward bringing one of the blades up in the air only to have it come crashing down making her close her eyes as she braced for whatever impact was coming.

 _Outside of Nightingale's mind_

She bolted up in a fright grabbing onto her chest with a panicked noise escaping from her throat feeling the sweat clinging to her body and clothes moving her hand slowly up to her neck feeling no injuries on her body. She looked around her dark bedroom seeing the crescent moon shining through her window giving off a brightened color of grey to fill the room. Her mind was a blur of thoughts feeling hot tears cascading down her face as she reach up with her right hand noticing the bandage had blood seeping through it again. Pain throbbed from it gently like it was trying to reassure her that she was back in reality only for the face of her copy to slowly creep back into her mind. She gripped the sides of her head curling up into a ball while more tears started to drip down onto her bed sheets while she tried to calm herself repeatedly telling herself that none of it was real and that it was just a bad dream.

Nightingale kept her mind off of her nightmare, but crying wasn't going to fix this while her mind started to race trying to think of a way to keep herself awake. She had survived on lack of sleep many of times it was always needed when that "day" was arriving making her look over at the small calendar that Beast Boy gave her for decoration since in his words her room had no life to it. A date had already been circled in it with red ink from a pen that was only two days away making her slid out of bed to flip the calendar closed trying to ignore it. She soon moved from her bed towards her desk turning on the small lamp near her computer before sitting down in the leather chair holding her head in her hands with her mind racing trying to figure out what to do about her nightmares since it wasn't possible to run on a small amount off sleep right? Would it affect her stability on the team? She shook her head; no she had confidence in herself since she had done this before so there was no worry. Leaning back she stared up at the ceiling trying to go back to clearing her mind when the alarm went off with a low sigh escaping from her throat before she got up to prepare herself for whatever villain was attacking now.

 _Downtown Jump City_

Nightingale had an odd sense of déjà vu after being hurled into a lamp post, but this time she knew she wasn't dreaming while Mammoth barreling towards her grabbing ahold of her by the waist beginning to crush her. She bit her tongue trying to hold in the screams spotting Beast Boy charging from the side in the form of an elephant and letting out a victorious noise before ramming into him causing the large member of H.I.V.E Five to finally let go of her. She landed on the ground gasping for air only to barely be able to catch her breath while rolling away from a blast of pink energy. She pulled out her staff making it grow to its full length rushing at full force towards Jinx seeing the magic user smirk at her with the ground beneath her cracked from being hit by a hex making Nightingale trip and skid across the road. She hissed slightly while looking around to see that Raven had been helping Robin deal with Billy Numerous seeing that he had already multiplied while Cyborg was dealing with Gizmo who at the moment was trying to hack his systems. See-More was having trouble fighting Starfire with waves upon waves of starbolts slamming into him causing the one-eyed villain to fall to the ground. She got up and charged at Jinx again ready to dodge her hexes with them being hurled her way every few feet, but her vision started to change revealing the copy from her dreams replacing the pink haired magic user making her stumble slightly. It gave her a grimace smile making her fully stop in her tracks while her vision switched on and off from Jinx to her copy as they began to move closer and closer.

Robin noticed the black-haired heroine standing in the street not moving an inch while Jinx started to move closer her hands glowed pink with fully charged hexes for a close attack. The magic user raised her hands high towards Nightingale's face ready to land a finishing blow on her. He quickly rushed over avoiding a Billy clone by smacking it in the face with his staff continuing to rush over to push her out of the way of the oncoming attack making him see the small element of fear in her eyes. A large hex bolt whizzed over their heads barely missing them before slamming into Mammoth who was trying to get up from Beast Boy's attack making him crash face first into the street.

"What are you doing Nightingale get your head together!" Robin yelled at her seeing the life return to her eyes when she finally snapped out of her small break down to realize that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her right? She got up ignoring him and rushed towards a confused Jinx ramming into her knocking her prone for a moment before repeatedly attacking her with her staff landing the final blow on her abdomen the sound of the wind being knocked out of her body was enough to make her stop. The leader of the H.I.V.E was now on the ground gasping for air while she stood over her trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had come over her. The boy wonder was slightly taken aback by her sudden hostility noticing the battle was starting to wind down hearing the police sirens wailing in the distance giving off an exhausted sigh seeing that the other members were getting wrapped up in a think rope surrounded by black aura courtesy of Raven. He walked over to Nightingale and grabbed her shoulder only to earn a startled surprise when she jumped ready to attack him only to calm down seeing it was him. "Nightingale are you alright?"

"I…yeah I'm alright. I am just a little tired is all." She sounded hesitant to answer him while she pulled away from his hand to put away her staff, but something still felt off about her. She was starting to look like she was very paranoid about something watching her glance a few times over her shoulder for a second only to finally calm down. The other member were soon aware that something might not be right noticing she was holding herself differently like she was afraid of something only for her body language to change quickly back to its carefree nature. She let out a small yawn that seemed to be forced she giving them a reassuring smile trying to show them that she was alright. "I'm beat guys lets head back to the tower, let the police handle the rest of this."

They all seemed hesitant to agree, but they all were too tired to really argue with her on it besides they could ask her later on about what was bothering her. They personally couldn't judge her on that one and soon they all started to head back making Nightingale opt to go with Raven being that she didn't really feel up to being carried by Starfire and Beast Boy was already taking Cyborg home. The cloaked girl created a rounded platform giving both of them enough room to even fit. Nightingale stepped on first before holding her right hand out towards the violet eyed heroine who took her hand carefully before a shock ran through her body seeing flashes of a fire and a child screaming before they both let go the latter noticing that specks of blood had appeared on her fingers when she had let go of the black-haired heroine with the other was avoiding her gaze. Raven wanted to confront her about it, but now didn't seem like the right time as she began to climb up onto the platform herself leaving the two to return to the tower in silence the cloaked heroine glancing at the other titan seeing her gaze off at the rising sun that was coming over the buildings holding her other hand away from her view.

 _Two days later midafternoon, before the marked day on her calendar_

Nightingale had been fighting sleep ever since they had gotten back from taking down the H.I.V.E Five continuing to distract her mind from sleep by drinking coffee and listening to classical music through her speakers, but she would eventually drift off into a small nap before waking in a panic state making her take note that this time she should really avoid the creamer and sugar to drink it straight. She picked up the coffee stained white mug exiting her room to an empty hallway devoid of any noise. Her body stumbled a bit making her way to the ops center seeing that the coffee machine was still on, but sadly it was brewing something else spotting Raven from out of the corner of her eye in her usual spot reading a worn black leather book with a mug waiting on the table next to her. She placed her mug next to the coffee maker for a second rubbing her eyes a moment before leaning against the island stretching her right hand out of habit testing the bandage underneath hoping it would be sturdy enough to hold in her blood back this time. She did not notice however that a certain violet haired teen was watching her every move from behind her book before picking her cup back up from the counter noting that her left hand was shaking showing signs of caffeine tremors before it stabilize itself. Even her face showed that something was amiss since it looked like she hadn't slept a wink last night and was trying to keep herself awake, but for what reason? The beverage maker started to beep startling the girl standing next to it a bit only to back to waiting for Raven to make her move. She placed her book down before picking up her own cup and walking towards the machine and pouring herself a cup of tea, but she wasn't moving away from the machine.

"Hey Raven I really need something to drink so if you would move that would be fantastic." The black-haired heroine spoke, but the cloaked girl wasn't moving an inch placing her cup down to turn towards her hearing a sigh escaped from the sleep deprived teammate's throat. "What?"

"I think you need to lay off the caffeine and get some sleep." Raven replied watching Nightingale's body language change drastically to a more defensive take turning toward her giving her a better look at her face noticing her eyes were slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"I don't need to lay off and I had enough sleep last night so get off my back." Nightingale snapped back at her holding her mug by the body instead of the handle while her left hand shook with anger as Raven rolled her eyes knowing that she was lying to her.

"No you didn't you've been playing classical the last two nights and keeping yourself busy." Raven returned her snappy tone in her monotone voice trying not show angry towards her. Whatever was bothering her was going to affect the team at some point or another like the night when she was almost going to be blasted away by a hex. The same issue reared its ugly head again when she was trying to fight to keep her awake during a fight only to be knocked back by Mumbo's magic. "Don't think I can't hear through the walls of my room to yours."

"So you're stalking me now? Oh that's good, you moved on from hating me, to being friends in your words to making sure I am in bed. You are not my mother." She growled at her not noticing her grip had tightened around her own empty cup with azure eyes growing darker while she glared at Raven.

"No I am being a concerned frie-" the shattering of a mug could be heard echoing through the ops room making Raven looked down to see that Nightingale had crushed her beverage container in her left hand with a mixture of large and small pieces falling towards the floor below. The black-haired heroine shook the rest of the ceramic dust off of her hand and turned to walk away from her to avoid the rest of the conversation, but the sound of something dripping onto the tiles caught Raven off guard spotting a red liquid traveling down her fingers from the palm of her right hand seeping through her glove. She reached out and grabbed her wrist with more images from earlier flashing in her mind of the burning home with the smell of ash growing in the air. She pulled off the glove earning protest from the wearer holding up her hand revealed the blood had been seeping out more than before, just like the day after their fight with the Puppet King. Revealing the wound at this time however proved to be a terrible choice with the others started to mill into the ops room a few members stopping in their tracks while the room was soon filled with a collective number of gasps. Both girls turned to see the group had only caught the tail end of their little spat as Nightingale pulled her hand away roughly.

"I didn't ask for you to be a concerned friend, so stay the hell out of my business and go back to hating me guts will you!" she yelled at Raven storming past her and towards the other titans only to be stopped by Robin standing in her way. She heard Beast Boy comment saying that what she said was not cool. 'What are you going to nag at me too boy blunder?"

"Nightingale you need to stop it right now and apologize to Raven, look we all know that you are tired, but you don't need to take it out on other people. We are your friends…you can tell us what's going on." He spoke to her calmly, but the tone in his voice suggested he was at least trying to be sincere. She was about to reply when she noticed someone traveling down the hallway…someone who shouldn't exist. She pushed past him and rushed down the hall causing him to cry out in surprise hearing the giggling of a certain copycat echoing above his voice making her rush down the hallway, but she had already disappeared making her look back and forth trying to guess where she had gone finally hearing the sound of a door creaking closed making her pick up the trail again. She heard the titans running after her telling her to stop and talk to them about what was going on, but their voices fell on deaf ears. She continued to look for her copycat rushing towards the door and opening it to quickly slip inside hearing footsteps echo from up above, but just encase she pulled her staff out and slamming it against the door handle breaking it off and preventing anyone from coming after her before continuing the chase. Her legs started to feeling like jelly with every step that was being taken feeling herself getting closer to the top hearing the laughter echoing louder and louder before subsiding. The sound of a door slamming above her made her guess that the person was now on top of the roof of Titan's Tower…good she could have the element of surprise as she continued to creep up the stairs to the door leading out to the top opening the door a crack to see the person standing with their back towards her not even noticing that she was even there. She opened the door carefully trying not to make a sound as she crept up behind her copy raising her staff to strike when they whirled around on their heels to face her catching her weapon mid-swing.

"I didn't think you would catch up to me that fast." The copycat grinned manically at pushing away her weapon before leaning against the small concrete wall behind her. "You know they will think you are losing your mind…well you already have, not once, but twice now. Once with that clown and the last because of your-."

"Shut up!" Nightingale yelled rushing forward with her staff, but her double smirked and disappeared before her eyes again causing her try and catch herself before anything worse could happen not feeling her staff in her hand anymore only to see a glimpse of it falling down the side of the tower. She started to turn around to see that her double was only a few inches away giving her another smile before she pushed her backwards beginning her decent. The wind rushed around her form while she fell as a scream ripped out from her throat hearing tears through the breaks in the wind coming from the back of her costume hoping none of the titans would see only to suddenly jolt to a stop. She looked down to see a familiar black aura around her waist with whatever was coming out of her back retreated perceiving that she was not in danger anymore. She was pulled up slowly to the top of the tower again to face the titans all of whom were wearing concerned looks when she was finally placed back on the rooftop with the black aura slipping off her frame. Starfire looked the most concerned out of them all showing signs of hesitation of wanting to comfort her friend hearing her boots shuffle across the ground nervously. They wouldn't understand what was happening to her or possibly they would think that she had gone crazy and…it's not right to think of the worst possible thing. She felt their eyes on her causing her to shift around looking towards the ground like a dog that was about to be punished before Robin started to speak.

"Nightingale please if there is something wrong…" he was repeating the words he had spoken to her before, but she still wouldn't give in to him and answer making him shake his head towards her knowing it had to come to this, but he didn't want it to be that way. "I don't want to do this, but I am suspending you from leaving the tower." Her head shot up at that comment as she was prepared to defend herself.

"What?! Why I wasn't going to kill myself damn it I was going af-." She caught herself earning a curious look from him causing her hands curled into fists before she continued. "You can't do this Robin I am fine."

"You're fine? Then what was that?! You being perfectly fine I am sure, but you are going to endanger your teammates." He continued on watching her ignore his words before she began to walk away from him only to be stopped as he grabbed her right hand ripping the bandage off of her hand showing the cut bleeding profusely. "Also your inability to sleep is starting to cause your wounds to not heal and the marks on your back are going to have the same problem. We are moving you temporarily to the infirmary until you start sleeping and your wounds show signs of healing." The concern in his voice was enough to cause her to pause for a moment before she pulled her hand away when she heard the communicators going off.

"My wounds are none of your concern just as I told Raven now if you would please leave me alone we have a city to sa-?!" she felt something hit the back of her neck causing her eyes to flutter for a moment before her body started to fall forwards only to be caught by Cyborg on the way down. He lifted her up to carry her down to the infirmary with the last few images flooding her mind seeing the sun shining in the afternoon sky before she finally lost consciousness. The titans secured her in the infirmary, but she was right the city needed them at the moment so who would watch her?

 _In Nightingale's mind_

The world around her had dissolved into grey mist silently cursing inside her mind guessing that Robin had knocked her unconscious while she had her back towards him. She tried to guess what hellish landscape would attack her next feeling the fabric of her costume ripping and tearing before it finally stopped leaving it in shambles before she landed into the darkened floor below her with the mist thickening around her. She walked further into the mist with crumbled buildings soon started to slowly come into view around her revealing the shambled and destroyed Jump City. An eerie cry could be heard echoing off the broken buildings as the mist revealed the night sky hanging above her making her senses go on high alert with her staff appeared in hand continuing down the street only glancing around every few feet and every corner she passed. The noise from earlier started to become louder, but something else could be heard…was that someone crying for help? Her body moved on autopilot making her rush blindly around a corner ready to protect whoever was in danger only to halt in her movement as the scene before her was laid out with her eyes filling to the brim with shock and terror.

Before her laid the titans battered and defeated, Cyborg being the first casualty lie broken in the street with one arm pulled away at the hinge join showing wires trying to spark to life as his lone red eye flickered for a moment before going dim with the blue colored circuits on his body dying turning to a dull grey. A large hole had been created in his chest while more wires underneath sparked with what little life it had left before subsiding. His human eye looked dull and lifeless as she started to walk forward hearing her foot hit against something metallic looking down to see one of his torn off legs swaying back and forth from the sudden momentum. She knew all too well that she was already too late to keep him alive with her eyes lingered on his form for a moment before pushing forward towards the next body that wasn't too far away, but she looked away quickly fighting off the urge to throw up at the sight of the mangled corpse before her. She could recognize was the green coloring mixed with the dried color of red before she rushed to the side of a building to throw up unable to fight the urge any longer. She wiped her mouth continuing even further looking away from the remaining remnants of her comical teammate. Only taking a few more feet before spotting Starfire lying motionless next to a wounded Robin with her arms wrapped around him protectively with scorch marks and burns covered their bodies. She felt the tears she had been fighting well up in her eyes forcefully pushing herself forward now knowing that one member of the team was still missing hearing a pained scream echo through the empty city. She picked up her pace and rushed ahead with hot tears welling in her eyes while she charged ahead looking at the ground trying to find where Raven was not seeing a body anywhere before another scream echoed along the buildings making it harder to locate her wanting to scream for her to hold on, but the words were unable to come out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried.

She stopped in her tracks hearing someone walking towards with the sound of heavy boots strolled casually like the world around them was something that was normal. A figure was carrying something through the thick mist that had formed around the area squinted her eyes to try and see who ever it was finally able to see the form of her copycat could be seen carrying a familiar cloaked girl as she gave her a smirk. Raven's hood slipped off of her head revealing a battered face with a large cut going across her face ending at the corner of her left jaw. It narrowly had missed the gem that adorned her forehead seeing a small fissure had occurred during the one sided fight between the two. Her chest rose letting off a ragged breath showing that she was barely clinging to life at the moment before subsiding with her violet eyes soon became dull just like the other titans her chest still slowly rising before a shaken fall showing signs that she was still there, but it wouldn't be long before…Nightingale gritted her teeth in anger her own eyes changing slowly to the familiar purple hue. Her right arm started to shake uncontrollably making her reach for it trying to calm herself down, but she wasn't the only one to notice seeing her double still wearing a smirk that was growing wider.

' _Tell me…what is the good in having friends who care about you, only to push them away when they want to help?_ ' Nightingale tore her eyes away from her double and looked down at Raven wondering what the extent of the damage was that had been done to her to cause her to be in this state. This caught her carrier's attention looking down towards the person in her arms giving off a sly grin in the process. ' _I didn't do much to this one really, she didn't put up much of a fight like the others did, but then again I took everything from her. Just like you have done to yourself am I right?_ ' She tossed the lifeless body towards her making the black-haired heroine to reach out and catch her gingerly her glaring eyes unable to tear themselves away from the person in front of her only to hear their voice behind making her wonder how fast they were able to move so fast. Her voice slowly started to fill her head as she down to see Raven's battered face. ' _It's just like that night right? Everyone that you have ever cared about all gone in the blink of an eye…all because of you and what you are. You are a destructive force ruining everything when it's just getting good changing slowly into the person you despise…me._ '

"Shut up I am nothing like you and you are nothing like me! Now leave me alone!" she yelled out of anger towards her feeling her mind becoming clouded with dark thoughts with the world around her started to catch aflame. A low chuckle escaped from her double's throat rattling her to the core at how bitter it sounded before more of her angered words spilled out of her mouth. Nightingale held Raven closer to her body feeling hot tears drip out of her eyes trying to block out the voice, but it was all for nothing feeling the words creeping into her mind again.

' _Oh, but I am you, every fear you have created in your mind…your hidden potential is all there. You'll burn everything down to ash just like the last time just look at the world around you._ ' She motioned her to look around at the burning buildings the sound of people screaming in agony echoed in the air causing more tears spilled out of her eyes. She buried her face into Raven's cloak, but the smell of lavender was soon over powered by the smell of ash and burning flesh when her double brought her head up to see a burning mansion had appeared before them now. Familiar screams filled her ears trying to reach her seeing burnt and seared arms reaching for her causing her to stumble back in terror. She wanted to cover her ears to block the sound, but she couldn't let go of body in her hands collapsing to her knees feeling a scream tear from the back of her throat and filling the air around her…it wasn't a scream of terror that was echoing around her. No this as a scream that held many emotions all combined to create the sound that was leaving her mouth...it was inhuman shriek of pain and loss. Her grip loosened on Raven's body causing it to roll out of her arms and onto the ground before disappearing in a flutter of grey ash. Her double ran her fingers along the top of her head when she walked past still wearing the maniacal grin that had not left her face turning to see the girl crumpled to the ground helpless and broken on the ground giving her the control she wanted knowing fully well that these "titans" she was so worried about couldn't possibly be able to save her or so she thought.

 _Outside of Nightingale's mind a few hours before midnight_

Raven had chosen to be the one to make sure Nightingale stayed in the infirmary to get some sleep, but even she felt herself hesitate before raising her hand for the supposed mission with the others going ahead to deal with whatever was going on in the city. It had something to do with a Plasmus attacking a waste management plant along with a few other places leaving her alone at the tower while the other titans were stretched thin looking for him. She sat in a rolling stool in the white room alone while the sleeping heroine lay across from her in one of the medical beds with the heart monitor beeped lightly indicating she was still alive though Robin assured everyone that it would knock her out long enough for a decent amount of sleep. Everyone was worried of course remembering that Starfire had also raised her hand, but she had to inform her that the team needed her more right now. The hooded girl frowned thinking back to what Nightingale had said earlier making her even wonder why she was doing this in the first place since her hand raised without her own acknowledgement, but then again she couldn't help remembering the pain in her chest that echoed even now when she was being told that she didn't need to be concerned. Everyone else was in the same worried state, but why was it affecting her so much? Nightingale had been getting along fine with her after leaving her mind on many occasions they would talk about the book she was reading trying to break the ice a bit more between them and getting comfortable enough to talk casually.

She first wrapped the wounds from the cut on her hand healing it slightly to speed up the process while Cyborg hooked her up to the heart monitor, he said just in case she starts to have a nightmare Raven would be able to wake her up, sure he meant it as a joke at the time though even he could not tell what was going to happen. The wounds on her back were curious showing signs that they were closing on their own, but no one knew where they had come from in the first place. Cyborg left the room to giving her the chance to get a closer look at them lifting up her top costume piece to see that the wounds were indeed trying to heal themselves, but even on the larger wounds it was apparent to see that Robin was right in his assumption. She placed her hands on her back as light grey aura covered her hands trying to give cuts enough of a proper chance of healing and so they wouldn't stain the bed before wrapping her up and sliding her top back on. Nightingale had twitched a bit in her sleep, but she seemed to be dreaming peacefully showing no signs of anything going wrong at the moment. Raven felt the sudden urge to go grab a book from her room feeling slightly bored about her assignment there was no possible way she was waking up soon anyways. She stood up and walked out of the room opening a portal to her room glancing back at the sleeping girl knowing this wouldn't take too long before stepping through. She scanned her shelf for a moment reaching for a book on the top left corner when her communicator started to flash with the book leaning off the shelf being held up only by her hand. She reached for her com and opened it revealing Robin wearing a worried and weary look on his face before he spoke.

' _Raven is Nightingale alright? Cyborg just had his alarm go off on the heart monitor…Raven?_ ' His words muffled by the sound of the book falling out of her hand along with her communicator softly hitting the floor. She quickly opened a portal her hood falling down revealing a slightly panicked look appeared on her face before she walked through knowing that it was stupid to leave her alone, but when she entered into the infirmary the lone beep of the heart monitor being unable to read anything revealing she was the only occupant in the room. She looked around the room trying to spot her only to realize that she had left the room, but for what reason? Rushing out of the room catching a glimpse of a boot going around a corner making her rush forward to catch up to Nightingale. She stumbled a few times only to continue looking like she was sleep walking, but something didn't sit right about the situation. Raven calmly walked after her watching the heroine with every step that was being taken. They both had moved further down the hall giving Raven the thought of asking Robin something while reaching for her communicator…only to figure out she had left it in her room when she rushed to go find her. Nightingale stumbled forward for a moment before stopping in her tracks making Raven take in the look on her face seeing tears were starting to well up in her eyes before she collapsed to the ground her body shaking uncontrollably. The sound of her sobbing echoed through the hall making Raven realize that she hand to help wake her from whatever state of mind she was in bending down towards her placing her hand on her shoulder for a second with images flooded her mind showing a figure standing in front of a burning mansion, the smell of ash filled the air mixed with an unfamiliar scent made Raven wanted to pull away and gag wondering how a dream could be this vivid, but she couldn't find herself to do it wrapping her arms around Nightingale holding her gingerly. The figure faded in and out of Raven's vision trying to focus on who it was feeling her arm raise up shaking at the form in front of her feeling fear pool in her mind. She pushed the feeling towards the back of her mind focusing on what she was trying to do as her mantra left her lips sending a burst of black aura towards the being hitting it in the chest.

Nightingale heard a cry of pain come from her double making her look up seeing that something had pierced them in the chest feeling the anger rolling off their body seeing them glare towards her right side like someone was there. She finally registered the warm sensation filling her chest soon enveloped her whole body with a familiar feeling resonation in her mind. Her vision started to change as the environment around her flicked rapidly switching between the flaming mansion to a hall in Titan's Tower seeing the double looking displeased at her before bending down to look her in the face for a moment grabbing it roughly making her look straight into the purple eyes in front of her. The anger and malice was still there, but a new emotion filled the holes in her eyes before let off a sigh of defeat with the words leaving her mouth already sounding fuzzy.

' _You win again kid…this time. I'll always be there in the back of your mind and your saving grace won't always be here to protect you…_ ' she stood up and started to walk away glancing over her shoulder for a moment before her body started to dissipate. ' _You lived much longer than expected._ ' Her last words faded into the empty air while she mouthed something to her before disappearing into the dark reaches of her mind like she had said. Her vision finally cleared taking note that she was still in the tower the smell of ash and burnt flesh started to dissipate from her senses only for the smell of lavender slowly filled her airways giving her comfort. She glanced over to the side seeing a familiar cloaked heroine holding her with her eyes closed feeling heat radiating off of her cheeks wondering how long they had been there. Raven opened her violet eyes to be met with bright azure eyes staring down at her seeing a bright red coloring under her tan skin. A light grey blush formed on her cheeks remembering the last time their faces were this close before she let go of her to stand up holding her hand out towards her while she carefully pulled her hood over her head trying to cover her face. Nightingale took her hand gladly pulling herself up from the position shuffling her feet across the ground as silence fell upon them while they both tried to work up the courage to speak.

"Sorry I…I'm sorry…" she spoke softly looking down at her boots knowing there was a probability that she was going to be scolded, but nothing came as a low sigh came from Raven's mouth making her look up at the cloaked heroine wondering if she saw what was plaguing her mind. She started to walk away from her making Nightingale hesitant to follow at first only to feel her feet moving on their own feeling the silence between them forming again only for a chime going off from her phone pouch, but she ignored it for now. She was led back to the infirmary sitting down on the edge of bed she had woken up only a few minutes before biting her bottom lip nervously hoping her team member wouldn't inquire what she had witness…did she even seen anything for that manner. Raven's fingers snapped in front of her face grabbing her attention for a moment guessing that she was trying to talk to about something making her swallow hard. "Um what did you say?"

"I said I need your communicator so I can inform Robin that you're fine." She spoke calmly in her monotone voice seeing the black-haired heroine reaching for her communicator clipped to the side of her belt carefully placing it in her open hand. While the cloaked heroine was busy Nightingale pulled out her phone to see what she was being notified of as a message scrolled across her screen causing her to smile slightly at it before clearing it away planning on answering it later. Raven had finished her conversation with Robin learning that they had apprehended Plasmus and were already on their way back to the tower. She handed the black-haired heroine her communicator back noticing the small smile on her face wondering how she could turn her mood around so quickly.

"Are you alright?" she asked with slight curiosity being hinted in the sound of her voice she seeing the azure-eyed girl looking back into her eyes with her smile fading for a second.

"It's…my birthday." She calmly replied putting her phone away before looking down at her hands trying to avoid the gaze of a certain violet-eyed girl wish she had kept her mouth shut. It was a day she personally avoided ever since that night only to be haunted by the nightmares that plagued her mind trying to corrupt her mind, but the message was still the same being that her copy seemed to be surprised she lived so long. Raven said nothing while they both waited in silence for the others to come back to the tower feeling guilt build up in her body over what she had said earlier. "Raven I…I am sorry for how I acted…" A hand was held up to pause her train of thought making her look at the cloaked girl who was shaking her head trying to stop her, but this only made the feeling burn in her chest while the silence continued.

 _Later on during the next day_

"Star…I really don't like being blindfolded and being lead to a place unknown." Nightingale grumbled lightly trying not to smile when she heard the alien girl giggling continuing to drag her somewhere. Once the others had come back she was allowed to go to her room, but Raven hadn't told anyone what she had witnessed in the hallway though she still couldn't shake the feeling that even it was inevitable before her ears perked up to the sound of large doors opening. She could hear hushed whispers around her feeling Star's hands brush up against the back of her head untying the scarf that was used for the blindfold pulling it off slowly with bright lights flooding her vision blinding her for a moment hearing the sound of noise makers and confetti poppers go off around her. A large colorful banner reading "Happy Birthday" hung over the couch. She looked around the room for a moment seeing medium sized cake decorated with white buttercream icing with the same words from the banner scrawled on it in thin black icing while a smaller cake sat beside it wondering it was for Beast Boy. A few plates and forks were scatter along the counter while next to cakes were two decent sized knife that was going to be used to cut both of them at some point. She spotted all the titans supporting party hats, though Raven seemed very unenthused look on her face blowing on a noise maker hanging out of her mouth letting off the most depressed noise, but at least she was trying. "How did you guys…"

"A little birdy told us that it was your birthday and…well we thought you could be cheered up after what happened." Beast Boy chirped pointing a grey gloved finger towards Robin, so her feeling that Raven told them was wrong. The boy wonder walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder squeezing it reassuringly.

"I know…I am a terrible person for telling them, but I wanted to apologize for how I treated you. I forgot that…this day isn't your favorite time and it slipped my mind." He gave her a small sincere smile before moved in for a tight hug causing Nightingale hesitate for a second only to hug him back feeling reassured for a moment. She closed her eyes while memories from a few years ago flooded into her mind with Robin and Alfred celebrating the day of her birth in the bat cave with Bruce being in attendance before it shifted to two familiar faced individuals. A pale girl with hair that was straightened poorly with a flat iron stood above her with blue icing clinging to her hair and staining her school uniform holding out a cupcake she had made in home ec class*. She smiled towards her while a boy with brown hair stood behind her trying to hold in his laughter only to get elbowed by the girl. The cupcake itself looked horrid, but she remembered it didn't taste that bad and only slightly burned on the edges. Sure it wasn't her favorite day, but she at least was able to spend it with people who cared about her. They broke away his smile unable to leave his face feeling a smile form on her own face hearing the other titans rallying to eat some of the cake she looked over towards Raven, seeing a rare smile gracing her lips, but it soon disappeared once she noticed her gaze while a small blush crept onto her face when she turned away.

After eating some cake and enjoying the games that Starfire had ready for them to play she had slipped away for a moment to take a breather reaching for her phone and scrolling through the numbers before landing on James' number dialing it hearing the tone ring for a second giving her a chance to lean against a wall to relax herself. She could hear his gravelly voice over the speaker making a safe guess that she woke him up only for a yell of surprise to exit his mouth before he could even ask what she needed when a familiar voice filled her ear.

' _Celine is that you? Why didn't you answer James text earlier we were really worried I…_ ' her voice crackled in the speaker, but it was easily the softest voice to ever come out of someone's mouth. She could heard the hint of worry in her voice mixed in with the excitement of hearing her voice. ' _Did you get the items in the mail? James said you needed them I just…Celine please tell me everything is okay. I'm worried about you; your emails seem very vague when he reads them to me._ '

"They…didn't work, but I am feeling better and I thank you for the birthday wish. The nightmares were just as bad this year but I…" she looked over at the opened ops room doors spotted Raven fuming at Beast Boy who had dropped some pieces of his soy cake onto her cloak as a small smile graced her lips. "I had some help this time."

' _Ooooh sounds like someone has a girl-_.' she was cut off as Nightingale could hear James wrestling for the phone with the sound of wild laughter filled her ears only to be finished off by a high pitched squeal. ' _Okay, okay I will be serious jeez spoil sport. You said they didn't work? You know you are only supposed to poke your finger once with the arrowhead and drop a single thing of blood in the booklet…are there any physical signs showing? No wait don't answer that, it's a stupid question. Just be careful, okay we can talk more about it another time, it sounds like you are having a party._ ' She was about to say that it was fine, but she could already hear the tone telling her that she had hung up, making her glance back at the party, knowing Misty was right she should be enjoying it. She shook her head and placed her phone back in its pouch not hearing someone walking up towards her until their voice gave her a scare.

"Are you feeling better?" Raven's asked carefully seeing fully well that she had startled her. Nightingale composed herself giving her a genuine smile along with a small nod signaling she was better. She nodded back towards her moving forward towards the bathroom planning on getting the stain out of her cloak, but something stopped her in her tracks only being a few feet away from the black cladded heroine who raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey Nightingale…the next time you have something like that happen please talk to me about it. I don't really know what that was, but I want to help you get through it. I won't…I won't let you fall."

Nightingale was stunned for a moment at her sudden boldness hearing the same words that she had said to her only a few weeks prior feeling the warmth she had felt the night before fill her chest. She was about to reply to her, but the cloaked heroine was already gone from her sight. A grin appeared on her face while she turned towards the ops room again ready to head back in with the warmth in her chest growing through her body before a familiar feeling entered her thoughts. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face with a strand or two showing to a white coloring to them unbeknownst to her as she continued to enjoy her own birthday though this time she felt finally feeling the guilt wash away finally freeing her mind besides it wasn't her fault…that night was never her fault.

* * *

 **Haha and there is chapter nine, hope none of you are mad at me, but I think you can understand what memory is haunting her and if not…I will touch on it another time. But yeah she doesn't enjoy the day of her birth and her dream about the titans is not foreshadowing I promise, it's just nightmares dig at the darkest parts of your mind and reveal your fears. Her copy was just a figment of what she didn't want to be…or is she something else? Only I know lol so no answers for you, not yet. Sorry if this chapter feels weird…**

 **Also home economics is a class you can take in the states where you can learn how to cook and a few other things. It was one of my favorite classes since I got to make amazing food like mint butter…its better than it sounds I promise. I even made these really delicious brownie bites covered in a thin layer of powdered sugar on top I don't know how many times one of my friends asked me to make them for their birthday.**

 **Anyways review or pm me about how you feel about it, and I am going to work on** _ **Masks**_ **so good yes? It will probably be up in a day or two.**

 **Edit: this chapter has been edited to the best of my ability hope y'all enjoy it. Sorry again for so many grammatical errors. Soo…yeah sorry again…fuck there I go again.**

 **Anri out.**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Hey wonderful people of the internet it is I, Anri with another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and I am so happy to say that we are getting ever so closer to finding out Nightingale's powers…well you guys are, I already know them so yup…*cough* any who you guys are going to enjoy this chapter, since it is an episode chapter being** _ **Masks**_ **and soon we will only have** _ **Apprentice part 1**_ **and** _ **2**_ **before the second season. Oh boy so much wow, such awesome…okay I am done now. I really am so happy that this story is going as far as it has, still working on other fanfictions too, but I still feel…kinda proud of myself. I've always enjoyed writing, but I usually have trouble trying to fill in the middle parts of the story, like I know what I wasn't to happen and I know how it begins and ends…just not the middle. So writing here is helping me creatively I guess? It's hard to really tell if it is, but I have noticed my story telling is getting better hopefully.**

 **The episode is still going to go the same way it always goes, but Nightingale has a big decision to make…is she batman's informant or is she a titan? That is something I want you to think of while you are reading this, because I know what she is and I know what she wants to be, but can she actually be that when she is being something else? Maybe. I dunno you gotta read the chapter. Anyways I am so excited to get to the good parts, like I am giddy about it because I just want to see if someone says called it or are genuine surprised at what she is or even just shrug it off. Aside from that it's just going to be interesting in a huge sense of the word because I know so many of you want to know what she is and I hear you, but what kinda writer would I be just spoiling it and giving you the answers huh? I would insult writers everywhere if I did that…um enough talking about that now.**

 **Also there is a mention to DDR in this episode…and crepe. Love me some DDR and crepes…not in that order.**

 **The weather around me has started to get better and a lot warmer, meaning I will be still hiding inside from the warmth of the sun because I can. I possibly will be going back to work soon when my tires on the front of my car are replaced and rotated meaning I will have less time to write, but only for a little bit; I just have to get back into the groove of going to work…not really looking forward to it, but it has to be done. Also still hunting for a better job as well, might have to go to the next town over to even get something like that, but I need a better car for that to even be a thing…god being an adult isn't fun, well it is never supposed to be in the first place I just hate how most people don't see that until it's too late.**

 **Well I better start getting to the disclaimer, but yeaaaah fun times.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope still don't own** _ **Teen Titans**_ **or the transcript for this chapter. Just Nightingale and my own story plot.**

 **P.S. If I miss any sort of dialogue or part of the episode it was because I had to deal with a squished transcript again, but this one was a bit better to read to I hope I get all the action and juice part in that you all were probably wanting in the first place. So please bear with me on this and I will do the best of my ability to tell the story. Also this will be probably very long sooo…sorry about that.**

 **So yeah on with the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Masks**

Nightingale stared at her open email file as she read over her report again, leaving out a few things out since he didn't need to know about her little break down, but she still hovered over the send button for the longest time her body feeling hesitant to even give him another report as her phone had the encrypted network up just in case she was ready so send it. All she would ever receive back was messages from Alfred saying that Bruce had read them, but the more she was around the titans…the more she wanted to stop sending the information in the first place. He had to of possibly known she was holding back things from him, like most of her intel included the bare minimum to even count as one which to her would be counted as rookie work, even she could do a better job than this…but she knew that she didn't want to. Every fiber in her being fought with her brain whenever she had to send one of these stupid reports, hell on many occasions she just wanted to send a stupid message to see what he would do, but in the end she sent the report anyways as guilt would start to weigh heavily on her mind. These people were her friends now right? So why was she going behind their backs and still sending him files on what they were doing since there was no need to, Batman didn't even care, hell she even heard through James that he spotted Bats with a new Robin already. She let out a soft sigh while leaning back in her chair as she reached a hand forward to close the window saving it as a draft for now as she tried to think on it.

She looked outside at the sun as it was setting through her window, lighting up her room with a sense of warmth while she closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence that she was being given since everyone else was doing their own thing. A few days ago they had a run in with an aquatic villain named Trident and another superhero teen named Aqualad, though Nightingale had to stay on land and observe the mission from a computer screen since her place on the T-ship hadn't been built yet since Cyborg was busy on a new project, but she was fine with that since she possibly would have had a few moments of unease since she didn't like deep water…which is an extremely just able fear to have since you don't know what might be down there. When she finally met the hero, she was partially impressed by him, but he was hitting on her a bit too much making her uncomfortable and he was given a communicator as an honorary titan. She rolled her chair back forgetting that she had just placed a grey and black rug on the floor feeling one of the wheels bump into it, causing her to fall back and crash to the floor as her door opened revealing Cyborg with his mouth opened as if he was about to say something as she looked up to give him an embarrassed smile.

"Um…can I have a little bit of help here?" it took him a second before he reacted, helping put her chair back in the upright position as she grinned happily getting out of her chair and stretching a bit as she looked over at him. "Thanks for the help, you seem like you need something from me?"

"Well…Beast Boy and I were wondering if you would want to play some video games." He replied casually, but she knew why he was asking…they wanted rematches. She remembered on her birthday they both challenged her to the racing game they were so obsessed over, thinking she probably wouldn't win since she didn't really seem interested in games very much…but they were dead wrong. The first race she could tell they were being easy on her so she followed along, partially pretending to be bad at the game as they continued to play only for the second play through she demolished them, hell even the other titans were impressed, so now anytime they had down time they always would demand rematches to the point that she really thinks she should possibly take it easy on them…nah that would take the fun out of seeing their faces when they think they are so close to winning only to have their car get knocked off the course as hers vehicle passed by as she would steal first place. She gave him a sincere smile as she walked past him shaking her head only to earn a dejected look from the bionic man.

"Sorry I am really not in the mood for a game tonight and besides I really think you two don't need to be schooled again right?" she was almost out of the threshold of her room when a green figure stood in her way, making her curious if this was an ambush when he held up a game in her face, though she pushed it away enough to see the title, a stifled laugh escaped from her throat. "Dance, Dance Revolution...seriously that is the game you wanna play?"

"What you scared?" he taunted at her as he changed into a chicken and bawked at her before changing back, grabbing the game before it fell. "I mean if you don't want to we can call it a forfeit and we win…" She snatched the game from his hands as the urge to challenge them came over her while she pushed past him.

"Fine, but I swear if you blame me for a sprained ankle it's not my fault." She commented as she looked over the game front to back, wondering why they would even think of something like this as a high five could be heard behind her…they planned this…those sneaky fucks. She sighed lightly as she continued down the hall to the ops room, seeing that she was right as the couch was moved out a bit so they could dance as she sighed lightly, wondering if they had practiced when she felt the game taken from her hand as Beast Boy rushed forward to put it in as she spotted two mats as she wondered who would go first, but she guessed the boys would go since they were the ones dead set on a rematch.

As they booted it up she noticed a few newer songs than the other ones that were usually there, but she ignored it as she watched them pick something as they both danced, Beast Boy clearly being better than Cyborg as the got through the song with ease though it was probably because he had only his metal feet to play with as the other had his shoes off. It was a set up most likely since he was usually the one who got bent out of shape between the two of them. She heard the doors open to see Robin, Starfire and Raven walking in as the feeling set in that he wanted to show off that he was better…two can play at this game as soon as they finished making her glance at the score seeing the victor was the green skinned boy. She kicked off her boots and set them down near the couch as she walked over to the mat that Cyborg had been on taking note that it was not damaged in anyway as BB held out the controller to her.

"Ladies choice." He said as she grabbed it searching through the songs seeing that he also had changed it to expert before she even got on. She skimmed only for a second before she finally landed on a song she though was something they hadn't played called _Despacito_ , though she heard the little pointed ear teen gulp slightly making her guess right…they hadn't played this one. She pressed the button to okay her selection as the song started as she stretched for a moment as the announcer spoke, readying herself as she started to see the arrows come up fast. She ignored Beast Boy, but it already sounded as if he was struggling as she kept her eyes on the screen hitting almost every one as a few were missed here and there, but it wasn't too bad…BB's score however was already terrible as she could hear his feet slip on the play mat as he almost fell, hearing the announcer say he should pick up the pace better.

The other titans however watched in awe and surprise she was even able to keep up with the pace that the arrows were moving as Starfire had started to cheer her on as the three other members looked on in awe as she continued while Beast Boy was starting to lose his groove. Nightingale was half tempted to start trying to dance backwards, but she thought against it as she went back to focusing, hearing the song near its end as she hit the last arrow to hear the audience scream and cheer as she heard the announcer tell player one better luck next time as she leaned over to him seeing him let out exhausted breaths.

"You know, you weren't very bad to be honest with you, but I think I win again." she spoke cheerfully earning a displeased look from his face as she started to laugh, but her cheerful nature soon disappeared as an alert went off, cutting her victory short as she moved over to the computer changing from the gaming plug to the proper input. "Looks like we got a baddie trying to steal something…"

"Titans move out!" Robin yelled as they all started to rush out as Nightingale slipped on her boots quickly and rushed to her room to grab her bow and arrows as she was ready to see who was robbing what.

 _Later_

Nightingale watched from the shadows with her bow already drawn as she pointed it towards the center of the room as a red microchip was suspended in the center of a white light. It had been quiet since they all had taken their positions as she could hear her own breathing as she waited for whoever was planning on stealing it, only seeing glimpses of a large figure could be seen on the cameras that Cyborg had access to, but that was about it though she could tell Robin might have an inkling to who it was. Finally she heard someone enter the room from somewhere in the shadows as she took in a breath ready to fire at any movement as she hear something metallic walking forwards…armor maybe? She noticed they had come from the east side of the room, noting that she could clearly see some metal armor parts on their black costume along with the fact that their face and head was covered as well with an orange circle in the center of the mask. They were starting to reach for the chip as she waited for the signal she needed as a steel-gloved hand reached for the red chip, but they stopped when they had noticed Robin hanging upside down.

"Tell Slade if he wants this he can come get it himself!" their leader spoke as she spotted him tilt his head towards her position as she grinned letting the arrow fly slamming into the figure's gloved hand showing it stunned him for a second as Robin jumped down to slam him in the chest pushing him back into the darkness as Nightingale jumped down from her perch putting away her bow and switching it out with her shock batons while the lights started to turn on. She made her way over to the other titans as they looked towards the one intruder as the computers around them hummed loudly, but even the sound of a laser cutting through the ceiling caused Nightingale to look up wondering who else could be coming through as rubble started to fall down, hearing Robin backing away from the intruder as more exact copies of the first one jumped down from the opening as dust rained down from the hole in the ceiling as one burst forward at her, making her block a few strikes before getting caught off guard by a blaster as she ducked down tackling him from the waist…why was he so heavy to take down? She struggled for a moment only to be picked up and thrown across the room slamming into one of the computers that lined the walls. She hissed lightly as she got up seeing where the other titans were for a moment while putting her batons away wondering if brute strength might be needed as she assessed how the other titans were doing before her attacker came back with full force.

Robin had been dealing with the exact same problem, but even he was able to handle himself…so why couldn't she? She gritted her teeth as her eyes flashed purple for a moment as she rushed forwards towards her attacker grabbing onto his hand holding the blaster, feeling his other hand start to land punches on her right side while she started to crush his wrist hearing the familiar sound of wires and metal being compressed making her wonder if these people were even human before she pulled away seeing sparks come out of the steel gauntlet on his hand as the blaster they was holding clattered to the floor. She was about to tell the others about her find, but a loud crash caught her attention as she looked over the last spot Starfire was fearing the worst, only to notice that Robin had saved her before it was too late causing a sigh of relief to come over her as before a metal fist cracked across her face, making her wince as she tried to shake it off pulling out her batons again, knowing full well that they would work in this situation. The robot hurled itself at her as kept blocking his hits seeing as he could only use one arm at the moment, but that didn't bother her until she felt an electric shock travel through her body courtesy of it using the broken hand. She gave herself a few feet of distance as the sound of a computer cabinet scratching across the floor caught her attention as a few of the robot goons were crushed as Cyborg dusted his hands off, making her guess they already knew what they were. Nightingale prepared herself as she circled the robot, getting the exact motion back as she charged up her shock batons, she knew she had to take this seriously as she rushed forward using one arm to block an attack while the other baton crashed into the broken wrist of the robot as she charged it up to full power shocking it from the inside and out as it fell to the floor in a heap, but she didn't know another one was coming up behind her ready to strike.

Raven readying herself for an attack from a blaster as she put of a shield as the beam dug into the floor cutting it on the sides of her barrier as it went over. Once it was dispelled however, the enemy rushed forward hurling punches at her as she tried to block them with mini barriers as she was pushed backwards. A glance over that the other titans she could see they were handling well as she spotted Nightingale putting down the one she had been dealing with as another snuck up behind her wrapping an arm around her neck as it began to choke her out. Her violet eyes widened as she tried to think of a way to help as she struggled for a moment as she reached up dropping her batons to the floor as she placed her hands on the side of the commando's head, odd sparks of purple covered her fingers and gloves as she could tell she was gripping it tightly as cracks started to form on the mask small licks of purple flames could be seen leaking out, making whoever was holding her let go as they reached for their face as she kicked them away, but the flames soon disappeared…a trick of some sort or some sort of new gadget she had? Before she could finish that thought her legs were knocked from under her as she collapsed to the floor as a blaster was aimed point blank at her face. She thought it was going to be a fatal shot when she spotted a green blur slamming into the commando's side as they were hurled across the room finally seeing Beast Boy changing back while the intruder was on the floor barely moving. He started to brag that she owned him, but another one jumped down in his range, making him take note that it was too late to even save his own ass. He readied for impact only to hear the screeching sound of two computers crushing the attacker between them as black aura surrounded them, glancing over at the hooded teammate with visible sweat dropping from his forehead.

"Um…let's just say were even now." He commented as Nightingale rushed past him and into the fray of green starbolts along with a few sonic blasts as she started gave a running leap onto the wall as she tried to stay attached to it aiming an arrow at one commando who was making a flying dash for the chip, but her arrow only stuck into its side as she started to fall when gravity started to kick in, but she was caught by Starfire and was placed on the ground carefully as the commando finally got was he came for and was running for the exit, only to get a birdarang to the hand holding the red chip knocking it into the air as she watched it for a moment while it sailed across, only to get caught by a thin pink tongue as a green anteater skidded across the floor it one of the walls. Of course they couldn't have an easy victory as an attacker's boot slammed down onto the poor shape shifter's tongue making him let go as they had finally seized their prize one more before joining up with his four remaining buddies as the one with the chip threw down a smoke bomb to make their escape as a grey cloud covered the area they were once occupying. They had no time to waste when Beast Boy changed back Nightingale was ready to rush after them, not wanting them to have whatever was on that chip…who knows what their leader would do with it. Robin had rushed forward ready to go as Raven was right behind him along with the others hearing him give off a rally cry as they all moved down the grey hallway.

They all entered an area similar to the first place they were, but the grey replaced white as four different areas were laid before them to go through. A hatch was in the middle covered by a steel grid that perfectly was centered as dim lights hovered above them, Robin ordered them to split up as each titan leaving him and Nightingale alone for a moment.

"Alright Robin which team member do you want me to-." he cut her off by holding his hand up as she could hear the sound of rushing water, motioning her to look down the hatch where the sound was coming from to see a sewer tunnel underneath. She finally caught what he was getting at as she helped him open it up to spot a ladder leading down as she nudged her head forward for him to go first. When she finally got down into the sewer, she fought the urge to cover her nose as she pulled out her bow she had put over her shoulder as she was climbing down when they both noticed someone running away from them, knowing it was one of the thieves as they started to give chase. Robin was the first to attack as he was in front of her, but both of them avoided a laser being shot at them only missing Nightingale's face by an inch while the boy wonder retaliated with a birdarang. Sadly it didn't hit its mark as the thief was able to escape it while shooting another laser reducing it to junk when they skidded around a corner of a side channel only for seconds later to have a grenade tossed their way as Robin brought his cape up to block the debris from hitting them once it detonated. Smoke filled the air as Nightingale started to cough trying to clear her lungs as she spotted their path was now blocked by debris and rock, as both teens looked through the only opening spotting the thief still moving in the dark as sparks started to fly as she guessed they were using their blaster to escape, she put her bow away and cupped her hands together to help him get up in through the opening.

Nightingale climbed through after Robin as she finally saw that light was shining through as she could hear the sewage water cascading down what probably was the mountain as she rushed forward seeing Robin was catching up, making her cover her eyes a bit from the light that was coming in seeing a floating teammate speaking to the thief only to be attacked prompting the villain to be able to fly out of the opening as Robin rushed forward, hearing him scream Starfire's name as she fell caused the black-haired heroine to rush after him, not knowing how they were going to stop her decent. Before she could even react the boy wonder had hurled himself out into the exit, grappling hooks in each of his hands as he shot one high as the other went down guessing it wrapped around Starfire and the thief. All three soon started skimming across the water as Nightingale hesitated for a moment wondering if she should even jump down into the slightly dark blue water, feeling her boot crunch up against some rubble causing her to slip forward not even able to give herself a choice as a terrified scream escaped her throat as she splashed down into the water. She heard her ears pop under the pressure as she fought to get back up to the surface as her head broke above gasping for air as she started to swim poorly across the body of water before reaching the shore, hearing Robin asking the thief questions as she coughed up some water onto the shore as she was happy to be back on the ground before lifting herself up and walk towards her leader and Starfire dripping wet.

"Start talking!" Robin yelled as he held the thief by the collar holding the red chip in the other hand. 'Who is Slade and why does he want this chip?" Starfire took the chip from his hand as he reached for the mask planted on the person's face, though Nightingale was hoping a human face was underneath it as he stared to pull it off as his words started to trail off. "And why do you work…"

Once he had removed the mask, no it would be right to call it a mask since it took the front part of their face off, revealed a small monitor making Nightingale's suspicions right that all the other thieves were robots a well making her conscious a bit clearer. The blank screen blinked to life as the resolution waved and moved for a moment as the silhouette of a man with one eye could be seen in front. Robin hissed a familiar name out as the black- haired heroine squeezed the water out of her hair as she took note on who was on the screen at the moment. The man's name was Slade…but any time she looked him up in the criminal data base at the tower she only had a small folder compared to the others on file, even her contacts back at home couldn't scrape up anything on him. She watched as the image flickered for a moment and then back to a decent resolution as the man started to speak, a chill ran down her spine, but she couldn't tell if it was because of him or how cold it was now that she had water clinging to her clothes.

"I think your skills are improving," Robin interrupted him for a moment saying he was done with his games as the man kept his calm demeanor as he continued. "But you lack patience. If you are so curious about what I am doing, perhaps we should meet face-to-face."

"Tell me where you are hiding and I will be there in a heartbeat!" Robin yelled at the screen, but Nightingale knew that this person would not give that information so lightly as the image started to flicker and fade again, but not before the man was able to repeat his message from earlier…patience then the screen went dark as the body was dropped to the ground causing loose earth to rise into the air when a shiver ran down Nightingale's back, something bad was going to happen…hopefully not soon.

 _At the tower after the fight_

A rough sneeze came out of Nightingale's nose as she turned into her elbow of her sweater to not get anything on the cooking utensils she was as a crepe cooked on the frying pan in front of her as her hair was tied in a ponytail to keep it out of the food as she sniffled lightly, wondering if the cold water from their last battle was causing her to get sick. She had changed out of her wet costume into something comfortable as she tried to get that thought out of her mind as she continued to cook until the one minute mark before flipping it over, glancing over at the other titans as they sat around on the couch trying to pick a move. Sure she could have joined them…but after she started making her own plate the others wanted some of it, Raven however wasn't really interested so she was glad that she had to only make three more plates aside from her own, but from what Beast Boy was selling either movie was good enough to make her forget about her odd feeling from earlier. When they all had gotten back Robin had already rushed off to his room to figure out what to do next about Slade, but even that worried her, he was starting to act like Bats whenever it came to the Joker. Another minute had passed as she finally took the crepe off the pan to place it on top of the last plate to be dressed as the others were already finished. Blueberries and whipped cream for Cyborg, Strawberry and mandarin orange for Starfire…though she had to fight her for it to have cream instead of mayonnaise, finally there was kiwis with nondairy whipped cream topped on a every non-vegan ingredient substituted with a hint of green coloring. Her own plate was topped with a mixture of blackberries and raspberries as she topped it with a heap of whipped cream as she smiled at her handy work.

She turned off the burner as she poked forks on each stack of crepes before picked up each plate one by one balancing Beast Boy's and Cyborg's on one arm while carrying Starfire's in her free hand before she moved across the room hearing the end of their conversation, the movies in questions were _Super Ninja Showdown Eight_ and _Manic Fury: Attack of the Protozoids_ which were both fantastic flicks in their own nature, but it was a hard decision to choose since she hadn't seen either film in a while as she held Starfire's plate in front of her hearing a soft thank you from her as she moved Cyborg's plate to her free hand, feeling her right arm shake for a moment giving the orange skinned alien a soft smile understanding she was worried about a certain hero. She moved past her and Raven, noticing she was face deep in a book again before holding out Cyborg his plate, earning a gratitude filled thanks as he started to dig in. Beast Boy placed the movies down as he grabbed his plate from Nightingale causing her to be shocked for a moment as she spotted the green skinned teen digging into his own meal.

"Yeah, it's a really hard pick." He spoke with a full mouth as blueberries stained his teeth as he started to grin. "How about we watch them both?"

"Perhaps Robin would enjoy potatoing the couch with us, tell me is he-." Starfire has started off her comment strong as she took a bite of her crepes…but she only took a small bite before Beast Boy interrupted her sentence saying the Robin was still where he was since they had come home making Nightingale give her friend a worried look as she saw the alien girl stand up and hold her partially eaten plate. "I did enjoy it, but I must check on friend Robin." And with that she was gone in a flash as Nightingale sighed taking her plate back to the counter to be packed away for later. Sure she would have gone after her, but it wasn't something she wanted to dig a hole into that she couldn't get out of as she placed the crepe pile into a tupperware container before placing it in the fridge as she went to go take a bite of her own food wanting to enjoy the flavor as she picked it up from the counter, but something that Beast Boy said caught her off guard.

"Dude I seriously wonder how you could cook something this good Nightingale, like your future husband is going to love this." he heard someone choking as he looked up to see Nightingale trying to regain her composure as she almost choked on the pieces of crepe on her mouth as she swallowed hard. "I mean if you don't have anyone in mind I wouldn't-."

"I-I'm sorry, but you are not my type BB no offense." She coughed lightly into her hand as she could feel eyes on her as a light blush burned on her cheeks as she looked over at them slightly glad that Raven had left only a few moments earlier. "What?"

"It's just kinda weird knowing you have a type." Cyborg commented as he was starting to finish his plate. "I mean you were literally beating Aqualad off with a stick because he wouldn't leave you alone after we got back from being underwater."

"Well excuse me I think my love life is none of your concern." She replied as she shoved a piece of crepe in her mouth as she could hear the boys rushing up to interrogate her as an irritated look appeared on her face.

"Sooo what is your type huh? Dark and brooding like Robin or someone who is laid back?" she almost dropped her plate on the floor as she could feel her face burning as she looked away from the two boys who were looking at her as they started to have a barrage of questions towards her before she finally slammed her plate down on the counter in rage silencing them as the words came out of her mouth…she didn't want them to.

"I don't like guys okay! I like girls so there can you leave me the hell alone?!" She blinked slowly and covered her mouth in embarrassment as she could feel her face feeling red hot on her palm as she turned away from them. "I-I have to go I lost my appetite." She rushed out of the ops room making a beeline for her bedroom as she could hear they guys protesting about her leaving, the genuine sound of apologies filled their voices as they echoed across the hall, but she was already gone. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other with worried expressions as they put her food away as well knowing that they both crossed the line in that instance, but there was no way they could make it up to her.

Nightingale finally reached her room as she closed the door behind her as she leaned against it before sliding down in a heap, her face flushed with bits of red as she buried her face into her hands, making her wish she had kept her big mouth shut, but that was unavoidable at the moment since Beast Boy couldn't keep his mouth shut about these types of things so it was only a matter of time before the rest of the team found out. Sure it wasn't a bad thing, but it really just wasn't something she wanted to tell them at the moment, maybe at a later time not while she was being pressured to answer about her love life. She sat quietly in her room as she tried to think of something anything aside from what had happened.

 _A few hours later_

The chamber that the titans had their battle in had been roped off from the other parts of the facility, making a few employees wonder what had happened, but they knew that it was some sort of hero thing so they left it at that. The microchip had been placed back in its place as it hovered peacefully in its suspension field as if it had never been removed, the only thing that really changed was two guards were now stationed on each side as they looked around the room in their helmets wondering how much damage a few super powered teenagers could cause as an eerie silence to fill the area making them feel like their night would be uneventful. The calmness was soon disturbed as the alarms started to blare through the silence as red washed over the darkened room as both rushed to the entrance opening the door to the other side where the titans had started their search for the thieves as they readied themselves for anything while raising their guns looking around in the darkened area as they red light continued along with the blaring alarm, but this made them unaware that the door they had walked through moments before had started to close abruptly and without warning as both guards looked at each other wondering if they had just lost their jobs for this incident.

The red light washed over the area inside the destroyed room as the silence filled the air as the alarm had been cut off by the door as a figure emerged from the shadows near the chip, ready to take it from its suspension field. The figure wore a skin tight costume with a large red X placed over the area on their chest where their heart would be as a black cape with a ash-grey interior rustled slightly as he moved towards his target, a grey utility belt glinted in the little amount of light being produced by the field holding the chip in place showing a silver buckle with a light gray body. A pair of serrated ash-grey gloved covered their hands as red X's adorned both the back and palms of his hands as black boots finished what could be seen before it revealed a black-helmet like mask covered their face with a white skull missing its lower jaw as a final red X had been placed in the middle of their costume. They easily pluck the chip from its safe place as the door behind them was blasted off its hinges by the two guards as they rushed in to attack the intruder and opening fire on them. The dust soon settled only leaving the two guards alone in the empty room knowing fully well that their jobs were possibly gone now because of this debacle.

 _Outside on the roof_

The moon hovered above the titans as they reached the roof of the building, Nightingale glancing around wondering where the boy wonder could be as she tugged at her left fingerless glove as a nervous feeling started to come over her as she stayed to the back of the group avoiding Cyborg and Beast Boy all together hoping neither of them would bring up what happened, but it from the looks of it the green skinned teen was keeping quiet. She heard a small ring in her ear as she looked past the other three to see Cy pull his left arm up as a small screen lit up, making her guess that Robin had put in a com to tell them why he wasn't with them. Nightingale looked around as she heard him say he was looking into a Slade lead on the other side of town though that made her worried about her friend, but Cyborg already told him that they could handle themselves before his com blinked out seeing that Robin ended the conversation. The loud thud of a skylight opening caused Nightingale to jump slightly as she reached for her staff, turning to the noise to see a person exiting through; it's our thief from earlier. The other titans readied themselves as she could hear Cyborg's arm changing into his cannon as he spoke towards this new adversary.

"You work for Slade tough guy?" he commented as he aimed his cannon towards him, but the person's voice identified them as a male, but it was heavily distorted making her wonder if a voice changer was built into the skull mask.

"Red X works alone." Red X responded as he held out his palm towards the titans confusing Nightingale for a moment before something fired out of it, causing her to move quickly out of the way as the other three scattered along with her, but Cyborg stayed in his position as he began to fire back with his cannon, but the two first shots obliterate each other as a barrage send Red X every along the rooftop as he tried to avoid the attacks, jumping into the air quickly as he held both his palms out towards the bionic man shooting at him making him run for cover as Beast Boy decided to make his move changing into a lion and charging forward. This villain seemed to have a lot of tricks up his sleeves as he aimed an crimson X towards the oncoming beast while in midflight it changed to a liquid, sticking to the green lion's face like loose clay causing him fall back to the roof as the red liquid started to stick to the loose gravel and bits of solid roof as Beast Boy struggled to make his way out of it, changing into anything he could think of before knowing he couldn't escape.

The next team members to make a move were Starfire and Raven, but from a flurry of starbolts to a large aura hand reaching out to grab him, he nimbly moved across the roof again as if it was something as simple as gymnastics as he raised his hands again aiming for the girls as two X's shot out like before as one wrapped around the orange skinned alien taking her down to the roof as well while the other one remained small slamming itself into Raven's face covering her mouth causing her to lose concentration on her spell as she tried to take it off. Nightingale winced as she heard Starfire drop as she moved in the dark waiting for the prime time to attack this adversary, confused at how he was able to take down the titans so easily. Cyborg was the last teammate aside from her who hadn't been taken down, but he was soon dealt with easily as Red was able to get access to his panels to shut him down enough to get away, but Nightingale stepped out from the shadows and creeped up behind Red X as she slammed her staff into his side knocking him a ways away from the bionic titan as she rushed at him, she could hear Beast Boy yelling at her to kick his ass.

Red X blocked her staff a few more times as she tried to get in closer to him, but he always seemed to be a step ahead of her oncoming attack, but she didn't notice that he was reaching for his utility belt bringing out a red pellet until it was too late when he slammed into onto the ground as a bright light filled her eyes causing her to drop her weapon and stumble away as she tried to get the fuzz out of her eyes along with the ringing in her ear as she felt a firm punch being landed on her abdomen causing her to double over in pain as another hit, presumably from the elbow slammed into her spine making her crumple to the ground as she hissed in pain not willing to give up yet as she looked up only to earn a boot to the side of the face, making her eyes blur for a moment as she tried to regain her composure, but her arms shook as she tried to get up as she heard the other titans call out to her as her vision went dark for a moment as the sound of crunching gravel filled her ears as she heard the perpetrator run off into the night.

Nightingale could feel herself being shaken as her eyes started to open to see a familiar green eyed alien looking at her with worry as she helped her stand up on her own, noticing a silent Raven had been helping Cyborg get his body rebooted as Beast Boy was still slightly struggling to get out of his own trap, she grabbed her head as a familiar throbbing pain entered her mind as she could feel a slight bump on the side of her head had formed from the kick she had gotten from Red X…she clenched her free hand as she looked around wondering where the villain had gone to before going to pick up her staff and moving over to help Beast Boy escape from the lasting goo on him with Star's help.

 _The next morning_

The team had gathered in the ops room once they had returned from their failed attempt to capture Red X, even worse they found out he had taken the chip they had fought to protect yesterday, making Nightingale infuriated at the thought of the masked villain. Starfire had planted herself on the adjacent counter helping Beast Boy by cutting his hair of the remaining red clumps of goo that were still in his hair from the incident last night as the black haired heroine reached up to her cheek, lucky that the kick she had gotten from Red X only left a bruise on her. Robin was listening to them tell him what had happened during the whole fight as she started to bounce her foot impatiently against the ground, knowing they would all be soon trying to figure out where he would go next, but more or less she wanted to get back at him for knocking her down…that sounded kinda petty now that she really thought about it. Sure she was mad that she he had gotten the best of her, but there was no reason to be so hell bent on getting back at him. Robin seemed concerned even mentioning he was sure Red X wouldn't pose such a big threat, but that was something they all should be used to by now…but it was like he knew just the right spots to take them down.

"I should have been there." Robin commented as Nightingale looked up from staring at her tapping foot, though she could see that he had been watching her impatiently waiting to say something as he nodded for her to speak.

"Look no offense Robin, but this guy even got to me, I'm lucky he didn't knock a tooth loose with that kick." She spoke calmly as she pointed to her cheek, the area had a slight darkened a bit from last night, but the red still lingered. She could see the green skinned member of the team sulking as Starfire continued to clip at his hair getting the red clumps, making her wonder if he was planning on leaving it the way it was or deciding to go to a hair salon and getting a touch up. He soon spoke up complaining about how he was going to be stuck with a few months of bad hair days, but the muffled sound of someone trying to speak after him made her glance of at Raven, a small snort escaped her mouth as she covered her lower half of her face as she shuttered with held in laughter at the poor cloaked member of the group who still had the red X covering over her mouth stopping her from speaking, but she soon tried to compose herself when she got an angered glare from her comrade. Cyborg reached his hand over to a edge of the X and made her brace herself as he ripped it off quickly like a band aid causing Starfire, Beast boy and Nightingale to wince for a moment as they waited for her reaction, but they only heard an annoyed sound of pain come out of her mouth before she spoke.

"Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have made a difference." She admitted as the imprint from the mark were now slowly disappearing as Cyborg held up the X to inspect it as it went limp in his hand.

"Dude knew exactly how to take us all down, I can bet that he had something special for you too." The bionic man remarked as he kept studying the X, but even Nightingale was interested in what the thing was made of. How it was somehow able to say applied to Raven's face even after multiple times of her trying to talk would be fascinating to understand, but she was going to leave that knowledge to Cy, it was more his department. Starfire mentioned that they all came out of it undamaged so it was a slight victory, but even that was a bit difficult to say as Beast Boy pointed at himself and Nightingale making the alien blush at her mistake before changing the subject on the leads that Robin had been hunting down on Slade his reply made the black haired heroine give him an odd look.

"Whoa wait a second Robin you and I were trained under the world's greatest detective…but you find nothing?" she protested make a few members of the team give their leader a slightly curious look. "There is no way in hell that you didn't find any…"

"The place I checked was a dead end Nightingale; I don't know what else to say about it. I should get back to work." Robin held his hand up to stop her mid conversation as he started to walk away from them, only to have her get in front of him.

"I could help you find out information Robin don't forget I would get data on a lot of villains so if I start making contacts…" he cut her off abruptly with a glare as she closed her mouth, knowing he wouldn't go that route, hell it was even rare for Batman to come to her for information before she began to speak again. "Look all I am saying is you don't have to be alone on this you have a team for a reason."

"I can get the data myself Nightingale." He spoke sincerely as his glare started to go away as he placed his hand on her shoulder squeezing it reassuringly as he walked past her; all the titans now were giving him very concerned looks as he left the ops room. She heard Cyborg mention he was going to analyze the material in the X to see if he could spot any components as Starfire and Beast Boy seemed to agree to help be lab buddies as the three soon left, leaving the empath and the azure eyed teammates alone with each other as a low hum filled her ears at the sudden silence. Her cheek slightly burned with pain causing her to wince a bit making her think she might need to head to the infirmary to get a bandage on her face and maybe some disinfectant to be sure as she started to leave the room, walking down the hallway towards the elevator seeing it was a bit closer than the stairs as she pressed the call button waiting for the familiar ding to fill her ears as she could hear someone walking down, guessing it was Raven since she was the last in the room. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the cloaked member walking down from the closing ops door, but as the doors dinged open Nightingale thought nothing of it as she started to press the button to reach the infirmary ready to go there, but the doors were stopped from closing as a grey hand paused there motions opening the door again to reveal Raven standing there. Nightingale raised an eyebrow at this, but she was unsure of why she even needed to be on the elevator as she stepped in as well pressing a button to the ground floor making her guess she was maybe going to meditate outside.

The melody of a butchered song crunched into elevator music filled her ears as the silence once again became present between the two as neither one knew what to say to each other, ever since Nightingale's incident both girls seemed to be on edge around one another, the other team members of course chopped it up to what she had said to her during the incident, but both of them knew it was much more than that. Raven had seen what her nightmares were though she didn't see the copycat at any point to Nightingale's knowledge, just that she might have seen the burning carnage…or did she see her teammates dead because of her? No it probably wasn't that one since she never saw her double. She started to find the ride uncomfortable before the violet haired teen spoke, causing her to jump slightly.

"Does your…cheek hurt?" she asked calmly, her voice carrying no emotion as usual making Nightingale subconsciously reach for her cheek as a twinge of pain leapt from it making the answer very apparent as she noticed her shift her eyes away from her as she finally lowered her hand.

"I...It kinda hurts, but not too much so there is no need to worry about me." she replied back to her as she could feel a familiarity with her words as she though back to when she said her lack of sleep and injuries were not her problem to worry about. The angered filled words floated around in her head getting louder and louder as she tried to drown it out. "Raven I didn't mean it like that I…" she found herself biting her lip as she tried to think of the words to say as silence filled the area once more.

"I didn't mean to intrude, I was just concerned." The violet haired girl seemed to mumble the words out of her mouth as she held a hand over her chest, feeling the familiar ache as it echoed for a moment as she tried to shake it off, though she was still confused at what emotion was causing this since it usually disappeared only after a few moments. Now it was starting to linger longer and longer the more she was around Nightingale, which was becoming a rare commodity since Starfire was usually trying to drag them around for bonding times since the boys did that a lot, but since the incident they were holding off on anything since Starfire had started to run out of ideas. She could feel the azure eyes starting at her as she looked over to see that she was now the one wearing a worried expression.

"Raven are you okay? You're kinda clutching your chest a bit too tightly there." She smiled trying to make a light of the situation as she could see the numbers crawling slowly making her notice there was only one more floor until the infirmary as she could tell the empath was having trouble with something. "Look if it's…because of what I said I'm sorry about that." She noticed her shake her head and lower her hand for a moment as she was going back to normal, her mind started to flood back to all the moments that had happened between them as a familiar one floated into her mind. The kiss was always in the back of her mind, sure it was used as a way to get out of Raven's grasp, but it was becoming harder and harder to escape the thoughts that crossed her mind sometimes about the violet haired girl…another person crossed her mind as hazel eyes and a dark grin passed through the image shattering it. No she doesn't need to think about her like that…not after dealing with _ **her**_ there was a need think like that, no one wanted something that was already broken like her. Besides Raven didn't show any interest so it would be the end of those kinda thoughts right? The elevator dinged as the doors opened giving Nightingale a small sense of freedom as she walked out of the metal rectangle as she turned to give her a small smile. "I promise Raven I am alright, just some pain relieving ointment and the bruise will swell down in no time. I hope you enjoy meditation." The door slowly closed as she caught a small smile from the empath as she could hear the elevator slowly creaking down as she let out a light sigh as she couldn't fight off the smile that had appeared on her face as a feeling started to fill her chest with a unknown yet familiar warmth.

 _Later, night has fallen_

Before they were alerted to go to the ops room by Robin, Nightingale had been sitting at her desk again as she stared down the draft of the report she wanted to send to Batman, the urge to not send it was becoming more of an annoyance as her conscience and heart were telling her to just stop sending them while her brain was telling her that it was a job and the attachments were a formality. The knock on her door made a sigh of relief escape from her lungs as she exited out of the encrypted network on her phone and exited out of the window as she started to shut down her computer as she picked up her belt from the bed and attacked it around her waist, glancing over at her bow and arrows before deciding it was not needed for this. Other than deciding on what to do about the report she had also started to do a bit of digging on this Red X person only to come up empty handed on all accounts aside from information from news websites, but even those held little evidence to who he was. She opened her door to reveal Beast Boy trying to comb his hair while waiting for her to answer only to have it poof back to the jagged look it had, causing her to roll her eyes for a moment before grabbing it from him making her presence finally be noticed.

"Here you aren't combing it right, you aren't going with the contours of your hair." She grabbed his face making him hold still as she carefully combed his hair the proper way before giving the comb back to him. "There I am guessing Robin needs us?"

"Yeah…" he let out a small yawn covering his mouth before he continued. "He said it was urgent…I was just heading to bed when Cy woke me up." she nodded towards him and followed seeing the others were a bit ahead of them, but Beast Boy was able to catch up before the ops doors were opened to reveal no one was there…odd. Nightingale glanced around the room as Star started to call out Robin's name trying to find him only for BB to yawn again speaking his mind. "You mean Captain Research? He's probably filling out notes at the library."

"I was." Nightingale and the others jumped a bit hearing his voice come out of nowhere, but Beast Boy's reaction was the best as it seemed like he was scared awake as they all looked up at the screen to see their fearless leader. "But I spotted Red X pulling off a robbery at the tech sector. I'm on his tail, but I need all of you to get down here as fast as you can." They all nodded as she could hear Beast Boy falling asleep again as the screen went blank before they all started to rush out of the room as Cyborg dragged BB along with him. Everyone was ready for a rematch as Nightingale got onto a single black aura platform as she floated along with the others as Cyborg led them to the destination that Robin had given him landing in an alleyway as the rooftops above them loomed over as the night sky was blocked at every turn as they tried to find Robin and X, but the first one to spot them was Cy as he pointed ahead seeing Red X jumping down from a roof with Robin in hot pursuit, but it didn't last long as the black cladded villain threw a net towards him, entrapping him as Nightingale cursed under her breath upset that she forgot her kukri since she was so used to not having it as she rushed forward after the villain, knowing that they all couldn't be too far behind him as the others started to catch up to her as well guessing that Robin didn't need the help as she spotted Red X leaping down the escalator into the underground substation.

They all rushed down to the platform only to not spot him anywhere…that wasn't possible right? He couldn't just disappear out of thin air; they were almost right on top of him. The hairs on the back of Nightingale's neck stood on end as she looked around reaching for her staff, knowing the batons nor her grappling gun were right for this situation as Cyborg told the group he was checking with his red eye to see if he had gone invisible, though it had be explained twice since Beast Boy couldn't understand. It only took a few seconds after he switched before he was knocked back by an unseen force, making all of them guess that X had not left the station. Red X soon made himself visible as he rushed towards the woozy bionic man as he was trying to recover revealing one of the weapons he used on them all earlier as he attached it to him causing static to appear…but nothing happened as Cyborg grinned at him as he grabbed him throwing him towards the others. Nightingale smirked slightly, so he was a one trick pony huh? So it was going to be easier this go around as they were able to catch him this time. Starfire wanted to go the surrender route, but it seems like X wasn't planning on going that route as he started to attack them going for her first throwing another one of his weapons at her, but it is blocked off by one of Raven's barriers. The two stronger team members try to take him down, only to run into each other leaving the last three members in a standoff against him.

He rushed towards Beast Boy first as the green shapeshifter changed into a bear to attack only to miss as the attacker was able to nimbly move out of the way from him before moving onto Raven knocking her back into a pile of crates, Nightingale gripped her staff tightly as she rushed forward while rage flowed through her as she started to move closer to him slamming down harder and harder on his arms as he reached for his flash pellet as she slapped them out of his hand, causing them to explode a few feet away giving off an annoying glare as she threw down a smoke bomb making the dark grey clouds fill the air as her eyes glowed purple as she rushed forward hitting her blinded opponent until he grabbed her staff as the glow from her eyes disappeared as she noticed that they had exited the cloud. He was about to retaliate, but the sound of hooves clattering on tile distracted her as she looked over to the right to see a green blur coming from behind making her move out of the way as it slammed into Red X revealing Beast Boy had changed into a big horned sheep to land a hit on him as he changed back quickly before charging again at him. The assailant had used some of his momentum to grab a pole and whirl himself around to try kicking the titan rushing towards him only to have him duck and for Nightingale to take the hit instead as she tumbled backwards watching the villain land perfectly on the ground before throwing a punch at the titan who was rising up with a surprised attack to his jaw causing him to be hurled towards the subway tracks.

Nightingale's eyes widened as she tried to scramble to her feet as she heard the sound of an oncoming train screaming Beast Boy's name at the top of her lungs as the others tried to reach him as well when the unexpected caught her eye as Red X had rushed down faster than any of them to save the green imp from getting turned into mush as she closed her eyes hearing Starfire gasp loudly as the train screeched past them as most of them had feared the worst had happened to their teammate as the noise soon disappeared as the locomotive soon past revealing Beast boy holing his stomach as the last image of Red X running away was hit boot before he disappeared up the other platforms exit stairs. Nightingale gritted her teeth as she pole vaulted over with her staff as the others attended to their green skinned companion hearing Raven try and call her back as she rushed up the stairs into the crowded streets of Jump City, the cold air hanging on her breath while she looked around at the people passing by giving her odd looks as she felt someone grab her shoulder, making her turn around to see Raven with her hood up with a startled expression for a moment.

"Nightingale it's too late he is already gone. We need to regroup and return to the tower." Raven's voice held her own want to go after Red X, but there was no way they would catch him right now, he was already long gone. The black haired teen sighed lightly and nodded as she put her staff away back in its pouch on her belt collapsing it slowly. Raven didn't want to say anymore as she could see the familiar sparks of purple in her eyes as she tried to ignore it as she held the hand she had on Nightingale's shoulder to her chest as she could feel a small surge come off of it for only a moment…but from what she couldn't tell.

The titans soon were headed back to the tower as thoughts raced through the black haired teen as she tried to think of why X would even save Beast Boy, even now he was retelling it to the others as they were walking back into Titan's Tower, getting a message only moments before that Robin had arrived back. It was starting to be an odd occurrence, but she wasn't going to link that to X yet. The others were gathering in the ops room as she reached for a mug wanting something to calm her mind as she picked up a packet of hot chocolate and a half full gallon of milk from the fridge as Raven and the others were gathering around the computer trying to pin point where Red X would strike next as she held the packet on the corner with her teeth as she poured the milk into the mug and transferring it to the microwave and setting it to heat up the liquid as she glanced up at the screen seeing multiple dots popping up as a low groan escaped from her throat wondering if they would have to search all those areas for him.

She heard footsteps coming from her left making her look over to see Robin carrying boxes towards his room. Starfire greeted him happily about their search, but he was preoccupied…Nightingale heard the microwave go off as she opened it stopping the beeps so she could hear the conversation between the two as she ripped the packet open with her teeth pouring in the contents. Robin sounded very abrasive as he brushed them off to get more information on Slade, making her watch him walk out of her field of vision before the others started to talk again as the orange skinned alien held her head down in defeat.

"Just forget about him Star, he hasn't been much help anyways. If he wasn't always AWOL we would already have Red X captured." Beast Boy commented as he tried to cheer the alien up…bad move. Nightingale took a sip of her coco only to start coughing as Raven actually agreed with him; even Cyborg was making his case as Starfire seemed to be the only one who believes that Robin was still helping in some way. She felt a small gust as she looked up to see Starfire near her, making her guess that the alien was going to ask her as well.

"Friend Nightingale you don't believe that Robin is the AWOL do you?" she asked so nicely it hurt as Nightingale looked placed her coco down as she gave Starfire a worried look.

"Star it's just…look I don't believe he is doing anything wrong, but he doesn't need to handle what he is doing right now alone, I also think he should be helping us capture Red X more than worrying about Slade." Starfire was about to speak, but she cut her off as she continued. "Look I know you want to have faith in him, but he's…this isn't healthy for him to handle alone."

"But he is working harder than any of you! He works to catch Slade before something terrible happens!" a twinge in the black haired girl's chest appeared as she heard the words come out of her perky comrade's voice…she wanted to believe…she did, but something was wrong with Robin's obsession.

"Oh like you have room to talk Nightingale, Miss I can't sleep cause Nightmares give me goose bumps." Beast Boy mocking tone in his voice made her look past Starfire as she started to walk over to the green imp as he started to cower slightly. "H-Hey whoa I was just kidding at least I didn't bring up that yo-." Cyborg covered his mouth before the little gremlin could continue as the tension in the room disappeared as she looked behind her to see that Starfire must have left the room to chase after Robin as she started to head after her, stopping for a moment to glance back at BB and Cy.

"I am not done with him yet…personally I need to speak to both of you, but now is not the time." she sighed as she continued down the dark hallway leading towards their leader's room…had she ever been in Robin's room before? Sure she had been in his room at Wayne Manor, but at the tower it was a different story. As she approached the area the door was already opened spotting some of the newspaper clippings that covered his wall as she heard a gasp escape from someone's throat as something dropped to the ground. She rushed forward to see Starfire standing near a table covered in items that she could guess he had recovered from Slade's commandos as she noticed the ball that had rolled to the floor as an image started to flicker from it revealing Robin trapped in a net telling them to go after X. Her hands started to shake with rage as both girls soon came to the realization that their leader hadn't been truthful with them as the black haired teen walked over to the ball picking it up in her hand and shutting off the hologram, her grip tightened around the piece of metal as an alarm went off telling them that Red X was on the move. She squeezed harder as she could heard the metal crushing under her hand as Starfire saw purple sparks escape from it mixed with then normal yellow sparks as she was crushing the piece of machinery before dropping the contents on the ground knowing they both had to stop the team from attacking.

 _At Red X's Location_

Red X had finally reached his goal, the last chip in the collection as the green one hovered before him in its stasis field ripe for the taking. He grabbed it quickly as an one of the overhead lights from above activated making him aware someone else was in the room as a familiar sounding voice filled his ears as he turned to see someone approaching into the light distorting their figure until they fully entered the light as Slade stood center in the circle. The man stood at 6'4" and wore a black and orange mask just like his commandos, but only his grey left eye was visible as he stared down at Red X as four parallel lines were placed where his mouth would be. He was covered in a black body suit covering most of his body only leaving his lower abdomen covered in a type of protective metal with pouches attached to his utility belt as his arms were covered in the same metal, some parts even contained overlapping parts. His hands were covered in black gauntlets as his legs were covered as well down to his boots as a grey sash came across his torso as a guard was wrapped around his upper chest like his robots. This man's body language seemed to scream power as he stared down at the person before him one could only guess that he could have been smirking or wearing a scowl on his face.

"Honestly, I couldn't have done better myself." Slade spoke as if he was complimenting Red X as if it was him doing all the work with his low and composed voice as he held his hand out to X who had held out three different chips in his own hand.

"So do we have a deal?" Red X's altered voice came out clearly as he seemed to be waiting for the perfect time to get the jump on Slade after he revealed his plans…but he was not going to be able to anything.

"Indeed, you and I are very much alike you know? It is only natural we should be partners." He commented coolly as his eye seemed to sharpen as he spoke his next words carefully as he heard Red X asking what he was planning on using the chips for, but he wanted to savor this moment. "Patience, you just can't expect me to trust you with such sensitive information right away…can you…Robin?"

Robin's eyes widened under the mask as he soon realized too late that his cover had been blown. Lights flashed on behind him as the three chips were soon taken from his hand by a net contraption as they were carried to Slade, the room was soon aglow with lights as he looked around to see several robots in the room with him, but they weren't his usual copycat commandoes, no these seemed to be a step above them as they looked military grade. He looked up a bit further to see commandoes had now stationed themselves on a platform above as he could hear the creaking legs of the enforcing robots moving towards his position as Robin is ready to put up a fight as the room started to shake as a loud explosion went off as the familiar cry came from Cyborg's mouth could be heard as the titans entered the scene. The three members dropped down one by one as Beast Boy started to grab a robot as he changed into a large octopus as Raven started to levitate another away so the green beast could deal with the one that was attacking. Cyborg rushed forward as he grabbed onto Red X's cape still not knowing who was under the mask as Starfire carrying Nightingale through the hole in the ceiling tried to stop him.

"No! Release him, he is-." The poor girl couldn't even finish before Robin tore his mask off as he pointed to the door where Slade had used the commotion to escape telling the others he had escaped, though the rest of the team stared dumbfounded for a moment as Nightingale tugged on Star's glove on her arm signaling her to drop her and she did so as the girl slammed into a large robot pulling out her staff as she cracked the lens that it used to see causing it to panic and shoot randomly, hitting a few commandos and two other large robots. She hesitated for a moment, but once she saw that the other titans were handling themselves well as she rushed to go find Robin and Slade, knowing they must have moved to the roof as she followed the path they had taken before noticing rain was starting to fall as she gritted her teeth before rushing forwards off the roof, seeing that she was only a few feet behind them before she skidded to a stop on the final roof as the rain started to roar around her seeing them fighting in front of a red glowing billboard as she took a deep breath, knowing that he was going to need help as she back up before rushing forward taking the leap of faith before catching herself on the edge of the building as she could hear the echo of the cars rushing below her as she struggled to get up onto the roof hearing them talk as gravel was moved around under their feet…they were circling each other like prey.

Robin had ditched his Red X outfit to his original costume, but she couldn't hear what they were saying over the rain as she pulled out her staff read to attack Slade at the first chance she could as she rushed forward as the taller man dodged a few of Robin's strikes making her hopeful she would land a hit, but he must have been aware of her as he turned around and grabbed her staff by the other end and hurling her towards the steel beams holding up the billboard, causing the air to escape her lungs as she smacked into hit as her staff echoed on the crushed gravel. Her ears started to ring as she struggled to get up feeling a urge to help as she rushed forwards again a low snarl escaping from her mouth as she started to help Robin fight back, only able to block a few of his hits before she was thrown back again, the metal on his gauntlets had cut the side of her cheek as she struggled again noticing her costume was getting torn the more she tried to help seeing Robin was suffering the same fate as she rushed forward again trying to hold his arm back from elbowing Robin back even further as she started to notice the fight was now moving to the other edge of the roof making her fear the worst as she held on as tight as he could, only to get a hard fist to the abdomen causing her to let go as she heard Robin gasp as he was soon too slammed hardly in the gut as he stumbled backwards hitting a few crates off the side of the roof before falling himself as he screamed.

"Robin no!" she gripped gravel into her hands as she could feel the pieces of it digging into her fingers as her eyes pooled with the color of purple as the whites of her eyes stared to fill with darkness. She charged forward again as she was going to take Slade down, no matter what they cost as smoke started to pour slightly from the open cuts on her costume as specks of black could be seen filling in the areas as she landed a few good blows on his body making the mountain of a man move, but not by much as he slammed her into the nearby steel beam causing her to cry out in pain as he glared at him as the man seemed to chuckle at her as he moved closer to her face. "You bastard I'll kill you!"

"Oh child I don't think you could be able to in this state." He held her up by her throat as she could feel the his grip tighten slightly as she started to gasp for air noticing Robin was struggling to come up from the side of the building as his mask leaned next to her ear as his voice sent chills up her spine as the purple and black stared to fade from her eyes as the pure azure color came back full of terror. "I know what you are." It was all she remembered hearing before she felt her head slammed back onto the beam as her world went dark as her body slumped to the ground as the rain hit her face hearing Robin scream her name as he tried to scramble up to help, only to have his grip slip causing him to almost fall, but Slade had grabbed his wrist pulling him up and throwing him over near the framework where a motionless member of his team laid as her blood started to was over the gravel from her cheek. The boy wonder soon was filled with rage as he hurled himself at the assailant, but this time he had more of a reason to beat Slade as he finally landed a powerful punch causing him and the chips to go flying as he soon landed in the rubble from the boxes that Robin had crashed through only moments ago grabbing him by his costume.

"This ends now!" he yelled over the rain as he tore the mask off only to reveal it was the same as the commando that he had done this to before as the screen flickered slightly revealing the mastermind hadn't even left his roost as he was probably smirking proudly under his mask as the video tried to fine tune itself.

"Patience Robin…We'll meet face to face some other time, oh and speak of the time." the video soon cut out as a timer stared to count down, staring on five showing that the robot he was holding was a bomb, he dropped it quickly as he rushed over to his fallen comrade carrying her on his back as he started to book it away from the robot bomb as he tried to get a good distance away on the roof as he placed Nightingale down quickly as he pulled his cape over the both of them as the explosion rung through the air as he lowered his cape to see the carnage as nothing was left of the robot. The rain soon started to drizzle as the other titans arrived on the scene multiple gasps filled the air as it wasn't Starfire who was the first person to rush over to Nightingale's side, but it was Raven as she crumpled to the ground looking her over as a slightly panicked looked could be seen on her face as she noticed specks of blood on the back of her head wondering what Slade had to her as she took in the damage to her costume, though some of the panic disappeared as she checked her pulse seeing that she was still there. She glanced over at their leader seeing that his own costume was in disrepair as he looked away from the two as Starfire moved in finally as her shock disappeared as she picked Nightingale up in her arms as Cyborg moved over to make sure her vitals were stable as they were ready to rush her back to the tower as they heard Beast Boy mention something about the chips not being in Slade's hands, but the chips were the least of their worries.

 _A day or two later_

Azure eyes started to creep open revealing a dark infirmary as she could hear the familiar sounds of a heart monitor beeping softly near her ear as she moved her head slowly, wincing slightly as she felt a pain in the back of her head as flashes of Slade slamming her head into the steel beam of the billboard before her vision went dark, making her wonder how long she had been out as she could feel the bandage wraps around her arms wondering if she had cuts on them as she felt someone squeeze her left hand gently…it was softer than what Starfire would do. She tried to focus for her eyes on the area seeing someone sleeping on a small enough space for their head next to her hand, but pain washed over her as she could feel herself falling back into the lulling darkness of her mind. She woke up again much later to see light shining through the windows making her eyes flutter as they tried to get used to the brightness as she groaned lightly hearing a familiar voice echo in her hear.

"You're finally awake, you really had us worried there Nightingale." Robin's voice rung in her head like an echo as she turned to see him sitting to the right, making her wonder who was here earlier as she could see he was hanging his head in guilt. "It's my fault that you ended up like this…like that night too…"

"Robin…" his name came out hoarsely making him look up at her to see that she was trying to give him a smile. She hadn't seen the extent of what Slade had done though Raven was able to heal the wound on the back of her head so it was safe to say that she would be recovering quickly. The cuts and bruises on her body were already healing well enough and it had already been almost two days, though he wasn't sure how though. "Hey…boy blunder I am talking..." he was snapped back to attention, as he didn't notice she had continued talking. "It's not your fault if I wanted to help you fight him off and possibly get him in jail…did we get him?"

Robin shook his head as she gave a small frown as she looked down towards her bandaged hands, the warm feeling from earlier when someone squeezed her left hand was still there. She soon felt herself looking back at him seeing the Red X mask flash for a moment on his face before it went back to his normal mask. "Why…did you become Red X Robin? We would have been able to help you track down Slade-."

"The others have already got on me about that…even Starfire. I wanted to get close enough to Slade without drawing suspicion and you guys would have brought more attention to me. So I decided to become Red X until I was able to figure out what he was planning." Robin interrupted her as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in as he seemed to be beating himself up over what he had done. "I know…what I did was wrong I just don't know how to fix it, the team they don't trust me I…"

"Mhm…this feels like a similar conversation we had a long time ago Dicky. Trust is something you need to earn, Bats was terrible at it because trust can easily be turned against you then you have nothing left. Your team had trust in you as a leader and you took that away from them…so you know what you need to do." She reached out and grabbed his hand; squeezing it a bit before she lied back down on the bed as she gave him an encouraging smile…understanding what he was going through as her mind finally came to a decision. "Hey Robin can you get my phone from by utility belt, third pocket to the left." He nodded as he went to go grab it, slightly curious about it, but he thought nothing of it as he handed it to her. She produced a yawn, a sigh to make him leave the room as she pulled up the encryption network on her phone as he walked away, pulling up her email reading over the report before deleting it all.

She started to type slowly, but her fingers soon started to tap wildly on the screen as she left a reply for her former mentor, finally telling him this was her last report as she attacked a file from her phone to it before sending as she waited for the folder to do its work.

 _Gotham, Bat Cave a few moments later_

Alfred had been waiting for Nightingale to send a report when he finally got it, opening the email to see the report file attached to it as he opened it absent mindedly as he saw what she had wrote on the actual thing a small smirk appearing on his face as random codes and numbers started to flash across the screen as her email still lingered.

' _Dear Bats, I'm done giving you information on your former subordinate and in the attached file I give you my last report, nothing. Well not truly nothing, I sent you a nice little virus with one purpose. Its purpose is to delete all the files that mention any of the titans by name and such like that…so any copies you have planned on making are getting gobbled up by my virus oh and you can't copy it either. Only my people know how to make it and once it's done eating those files, well it will destruct itself so you will never be able to figure out how I pulled it of…and my people take it to their graves so good luck getting it out of them. Yours truly, Black Bird p.s. you go after my people and you are done for.'_

To the letter the virus soon started to infest the computers in the bat cave setting off alarms as Batman soon was brought on a com as he was trying to figure out what was going on as Alfred turned his screen to see the data on the titans and reports given were being deleted by a blue cat as it was eating them. It soon was through finding all the files it wanted to eat before it destroyed itself just leaving the email the only thing as the folder holding the virus disappeared as well. The dark knight himself was not pleased at this outcome, but he knew it would have come to this as the com link shut off as Alfred went back to his duties, glad that she had spare costumes still to work with.

 _Back with Nightingale_

After a few moments she had gotten confirmation that all the files had been deleted as she smiled down at her phone before shutting off the encrypted network making her phone just a regular device again. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she tried to get comfortable in the terrible hospital bed they had in the infirmary only to hear her phone buzz, making her slightly hope that it wasn't Bats sending her a message as she looked down, not knowing the email address as she opened it, only to see a few words saying some strange things before she closed it as a way of ignoring it as she tried to drift off to sleep with a small smile on her face.

 _Somewhere else in the city_

Slade sat in his lair as Wintergreen, his butler, brought him a steaming cup of tea as he stared down onto the shadows as someone was hesitant to step forward only to for them to finally make a move towards the throne like chair as they stopped at the steps revealing a girl no younger than sixteen wearing a uniform from a prep school as the crest on her left breast pocket held the letters GA in fancy script as long plain blonde hair cascaded over it as her hazel eyes looked up at Slade the emotions in them being hard to read as a sly grin covered her pale skin as she held a black duffle bag over her shoulder. "Now…what more can you tell me about Nightingale?"

Behind her pictures of Nightingale flashed across the screens as videos popped up in random places as well as the girl's sly grin grew wider as she spoke, her voice soft as silk. "I can tell you everything about her, sir. Just make sure that this gets into the hands of lowly street thugs and I can give you want ever information you want on her." she threw the duffel bag to the ground as the zipper opened a bit revealing nicotine patches with a green hue to them as she brought a finger up to her lip. "Just make sure these don't get traced back to me…not yet anyways." A low giggle escaped from her throat as it soon started to echo through the clockwork around her as Slade looked past her to see eyes glowing in the darkness.

* * *

 **Ooooh another cliffhanger right? Almost seeing Nightingale's powers too what is the meaning of this? What do the patches do? What does Slade want to do with our black haired heroine and who is this young lady he is talking to. My, my y'all probably have a lot of questions right? I don't wanna ruin the surprise you know, it's just gonna be wrapped in a nice present for you that has multiple layers to it sooo you gotta wait til chapter fourteen for all your answers. The wait won't be too long so don't worry you guys, now I gotta go take a really nice relaxing shower while trying to hide my cries because holy shit this was another long chapter.**

 **Also I think you guys can understand why she isn't mad at him betraying her trust and who knew she had the guts to do that to Batman huh? I did lol. I shall be going y'all enjoy biting your nails until the next chapter which will be a regular one.**

 **Anri out!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Heeeey howdy guys how are you all today? We…well you guys are getting so much closer to understand what Nightingale is and I am so happy I am getting to one of the major story arches I have planned for this one. I actually feel proud of myself and I thank all of you guys for the awesome support towards this wonderful story. My other stories are my priority as well it's just…I think I have come to the decision that I really need to get more of my stuff out there you know? Well it's still in the works and I am still doing the** _ **Invader Zim**_ **one too, just I am possibly going to have to rewrite the chapter I am working on for that since a lot of story plot elements are getting revealed and I really don't want to do that. Oooh and I was thinking of doing a chapter with people who come to the past and stuff like that hope you get where I am going on that one. Another thing I am revealing who was holding Nightingale's hand, but that probably was apparent if you could catch up on that sooooo yup. Also hey guys I have a question, what Lantern Core do you think Nightingale would be in. I have been wondering this for a while and I wanna know your guys opinion on the matter. Leave a review if you wanna share your opinion or hell I want to hear theories from you guys.**

 **I know most of you probably don't read this, but I truly am happy to see all of you guys, hell from places I have always wanted to visit, reading my story like…wow. This actually is helping me a lot with my confidence and I really enjoy seeing my view statistics go up and up and well…thank you all. You mysterious people all over the world gave me the confidence to want to write again and well I am slowly starting to gather one of my stories I have had in my head into an actual book so…again thank you all again. I really hope you guys like how the rest of the story goes from here and hopefully any other things that I make later on. Um…now I actually feel really embarrassed for thanking people that I don't even know, but fuck it I shall wear it as a badge of pride!**

 **This chapter we are…oh yeah I am doing a summary for this chapter since you know it's a normal one and hopefully it will be a decent length, not that 22 pages isn't decent…bleh god last chapter was so long and it hurt my brain with all the emotions I was feeling during it all.** **So I am kinda hoping this chapter will be shorter…maybe it will come in at 17 pages if possible maybe longer since I am trying out making flashbacks better. Also Chapter Nine and Ten might be revised at this point so if you want to go back and read them be my guest also chapter nine is much better. Oh totally getting side tracked, in this chapter we are going to pick up on the little bag of goodies that were revealed at the end of last chapter such as the little patches that were contained in the bag and as someone pointed out in the comments, they are Venom patches and are from the series** _ **Batman Beyond**_ **its just I wanted an easier way to do the intake and that helped out in the best way possible for plot reasons also a villain is returning can you guess…its JD there is no need to guess now I spoiled the fun I am sorry. Well it seems like Slade is going to fulfill his promise as that shit is going to be in the hands of a few unsavory characters that will cause trouble. The title is kinda explanatory once you finish it all so I really hope y'all like it as much as I had fun writing it…we are getting so close to the fun stuff and I really can't wait to get there with you guys.**

 **Also thank you for user Zefeh for the wonderful tips you gave me in your review and the tips you have given me. They have helped me immensely and I am still editing the other chapters along with being a little bit more aware of my uses of grammar. Again if anyone notices anything please point it out to me I am always looking for constructive criticism from you guys and I want to hear your opinions. Also Grammarly does not help its kinda evil. Thank you all for the support and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **You guys probably didn't read that so I babbled for no reason.**

 **Anyways Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans you know the drill by now. Nightingale is my baby and I enjoy having her as a character. She is one of my best and will always be a good character. Oh and any music mentioned it will just be the titles are not mine either, I can't sing or write a song to save my life.**

 **Oh and um slight trigger warning because I will mention maybe something from Nightingale's past and what she was…kinda forced to do so please adhere to this warning cause I will only say it once.**

 **I should get on with our wonderful story right guys?**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Evidence and Entanglement**

The streets of Jump City looked to be at peace with many people going on about their day not worried about any incident that might happen with villains while a cool breeze passed through the buildings. From above however every person that was walking around looked like ants from where Nightingale had been looking down from her perch towards the streets below swinging her leg carefully along with the breeze while the other one was held close to her chest. It had been nearly a week since her scuffle with Slade that she was slightly thankful for the quick healing from both Raven's magic and…she didn't want to think of the thing that was on her mind at the moment feeling another breeze rustle through her hair giving her something else to focus on. She personally just wanted to be at peace today and just have a simple patrol, but she was stuck with Beast Boy who seemingly ran off to go get something telling her he would be right back though that was about two hours ago. Sure she should be worried about him even though she made sure to check her communicator every now and then to see if he was trying to contact her hell even checking the GPS locator to see his position was at the pizza shop across town making her silently wonder what was taking him so long to even get there when she felt her phone buzz loudly on her belt making her slightly curious about who it could be seeing that Misty had called her a few days ago.

She carefully pulled it out of her pocket seeing that it was an unknown number had left a message, but only a few people even had her own number to begin with so she was slightly curious at this point unlocking the phone reading the message before her having the feeling soon change to something different more confusion to say the least while she tried to decipher what had been sent to her when her communicator blinked rapidly on her belt taking her attention away from her phone and towards the new issue leaving that for later flipping it open to reveal Robin's face giving off a slightly worried look for a second.

' _Nightingale we got a situation at a store that is located near you and Beast Boy. The scanner picked up some suspicious activity near one of the jewelry stores down town._ ' he stated calmly with his voice containing a hint an emotion she couldn't identify soaking up the information of what they looked like wearing casual ski masks like it was their first time. ' _I want you and Beast Boy to approach, but do not engage until the rest of the team gets there do you read me?_ '

"You just want me to stay out of engaging them really Robin? There is a chance that any civilians inside the store could get hurt? That's bullshit and you know it I'm not just going to stand around and let those people-?!" She stopped her rant seeing him give her a hard scowl knowing that she wasn't going to get through to him making her let off an irritated tsk noise from the back of her throat. Ever since her recovery he had begun to coddle her like a protective parent over their clumsy child making sure she takes the easiest patrol times hell he even stopped her from cooking once because she needed to use a kitchen blow torch on a dish she had been slaving over for hours by covering it in foam from a fire extinguisher. Both Cyborg and Raven had given her a clean bill of health even going so far to have her spar with the masked hero himself to prove that she was just fine, but that seem to be good enough for him at all to the point that she had to fight to even get a chance to go on patrols in the first place. She let out an annoyed sign giving him a glaring side glance for good measure knowing fully well that they would be talking about it later. "Fine, I'll do it, but you guys better get to the place fast or so help me I am going to go in myself."

She closed her communicator forcefully standing up from her sitting position with slight grace before noticing her arm had started shaking from the pent up anger that had built up inside of her. What caused the shift in her emotions was seeing that black specks started to billow off of her costume showing that it had the ability to seep through the fabric. Her eyes started to travel to her chest seeing fully well that the specks had also started to billow off from there made the familiar sensation travel throughout her body while she tried to calm down from her small outburst of anger from earlier was enough to cause a pained expression to befall her face. Right now was not the time to be having that happen much less dealing with it would be a hassle and if the others found out…she shook the though from her mind knowing that she had been covering it up ever since she almost released it during her little scuffle with Slade. Nightingale closed her eyes remember hearing the voice echoing in the back of her mind begging to be free, but she knew the consequences of even thinking like that in the first place. Her azure blue eyes shone in the sunlight readying herself to go to the location Robin had mentioned knowing it was going to go past the pizza place that Beast Boy was taking his sweet time in.

Taking in a slow breath feeling the cool air fill her chest was invigorating than being trapped in the infirmary wing and possibly getting a few chances to escape onto the roof for maybe an hour or two at night before someone found her though it was either Robin or Raven…her mind faded towards the cloaked team member remembering seeing her through her barely conscious vision while she was bleeding on the roof during aftermath of her pitiful fight. She didn't want to focus on her face, but her eyes were drawn to it seeing the sudden emotions of both panic and fear filling her violet orbs while she assessed all of what was wrong with her before relief flashed across her features knowing that she was going to be okay. Nightingale had felt a tug at her heart wondering where the sudden sensation of guilt filled her chest at the time came from, but she soon shook the images from her head not even wanting to dwell on the person who had been sitting next to her the time she awoke in the middle of the night. She grimaced trying not to really think about the memories before jumping down from the roof heading for a fire escape on a building just across from her grabbing onto it hearing the hunk of metal squeak in protest of being landed on. She carefully pulled herself up from the ledge she was on and slammed down onto the platform earning more protested squeaks before she began to start running down the thing with haste taking one last jump down to the alley below wondering if she should really invest in getting her own vehicle to get around faster.

She rushed out of the alley in a flurry of black with hints of white into the crowds hearing a few protest at her bumping into them making her give a casual wave towards them trying to show she meant no harm when she started to slow down knowing she shouldn't be digging into _that_ knowing fully well that it wouldn't end well if any of the titans caught her running like that…how would she even explain it. She sighed doing a regular and humane run towards the pizza shop spotting Beast Boy through the glass that surrounded the seating area flirting with the cashier at the counter making her roll her eyes. Sure she looked cute, but she wasn't like Ra…she stopped that thought instantly shaking her head already feeling her cheeks burning at the thought of a certain violet haired team member making the memory of her giving her a kiss while trying to escape reared its ugly head again making an annoyed tsk escape from her mouth again storming towards the shop and opening the door dragging Beast Boy by the collar of his costume earning a protested cry from the green teen who gave the girl a call me signal with his hand making a girlish giggle escape from the girl's throat. Once they were outside the shop he dug his heels into the ground making her struggle a bit before changing into an ox causing her to loosen her grip.

"Dude what was that for anyways?! Look I'm sorry it was taking me a long time to get the pizza, but I was really close to getting a-." He changed back to voice his anger at being taken away, but he noticed that Nightingale seemed to be wearing a face of pure anger towards something though he was kinda glad it wasn't directed at him. "Hey is everything okay with you?"

"I…sorry Beast Boy there is a bit of a chance of trouble at a jewelry store not too far from here and Robin wants us to survey until the rest of the team gets there." She stated calmly trying to control her own emotions at the moment knowing that they were going to be put on the back burner for now while she had to deal with this. She saw Beast Boy cross his arms with an annoyed look on his face so she wasn't the only pissed off about being a scout, but it was Robin's orders. "I know I'm not too happy about being on grunt work either, but it's what our leader wants and we can't really argue."

She heard the puny green teenager sigh in defeat waving at her to show the way before running along with her towards the site that was only maybe two blocks ahead when she heard a scream echo in the street when she turned the corner with haste seeing that confrontation was almost going to be unavoidable seeing the people pouring out of the building with the screams becoming stronger in volume. She glared at the front of the shop spotting a few stragglers that were escaping watching a man in a well-dressed suit getting nabbed by a crook wearing a ski mask with his arms and hands covered completely knowing it was going to be hard to get identification on him if he escaped making her blood boil. Did Robin really think she was going to stand around and watch this happen before her eyes? She reached down quickly for her batons knowing fully well that she was prepared to fight rushing forward hear Beast Boy protest that she shouldn't since they didn't know what they were capable of, but she noticed a glint of something black in the culprit's hand taking a very strong guess for what he was holding towards the man's head. This might not be a viable option to even do this, but she had little choice if there was a chance that a civilian was going to get hurt and all she did was stand there.

She slammed into the masked culprit earning a shocked cry making him let go of the man he had been holding already scurried away into the small crowd of people that had escaped though some were starting to thin out the herd meaning there was a less of a chance of people getting hurt. Her relief chanced whens heard a familiar clicking sound guessing that the man's attention was soon drawn to her for talking away his hostage, but she already had a plan for that jabbing her batons into his arm that was holding the gun and turning them on sending a shock through his system before pulling them out quickly. The man stumbled back for a moment dropping his gun that had become a conductor for the electricity on the ground groaning while he fell to the ground unconscious. There was one person down, but with the commotion came more and what she could count with the one on the ground there were about five members already with their hands on a few bags that had a few pieces of jewelry poking out of the tops giving her an understanding that the man in the suit must have been the manager…meaning he was wanting to get the access code to the safe so they could steal more. She saw one rushing towards her ready to swing his bag of goodies at her when she heard the familiar sound of hooves clicking against asphalt seeing Beast Boy slam right into him as a goat making him do a flip in the air before face planting into the ground causing the others to hesitate for a moment before rushing at the both of them. She knew that Robin would have a hissy fit at the sight of her wrangling up the culprits, but it would be too good of an opportunity to finally show that there was nothing wrong with her twirling her batons casually before rushing at the two perpetrators that had decided to take her on noticing one of them was hanging back stumbling to get something out of his pocket which appeared to be a patch of some sort, but she was soon distracted by the one that just tried to hit her with his jewelry bag. She slid on the ground taking him out by his right knee causing him to stumble forward, but he regained himself quickly trying to get another swipe in at her head though he only seemed to whiff the top of her head while she turned on her heel quickly slamming her baton into the back of his neck not discharging it and hitting a point that was able to knock him unconscious along with his other buddy on the ground leaving two left standing. She got a quick glance at Beast Boy noticing he was dealing with one of them who was trying to swat at him while he was some kinda bird she couldn't identify bringing her attention to her last opponent who had dropped his bag of money and a duffel bag that he had over his shoulder onto the ground spotting a maddening grimace on his face while he rolled his sleeves up holding two patches in his hands now before slamming them onto his bare arms.

The sudden change in his demeanor was enough to cause suspicion to appear on Nightingale's face, but it was soon replaced with terror seeing that his arms were starting to jack up along with the rest of his body almost like…she shook her head growling at the thought that had entered her mind. There was no possible way that Venom could be in a new form, but there was also no way she was going to ignore the possibility meaning she was going to have to take this a lot more seriously. She switched quickly from her batons to her staff dodging his attacks in the meantime curious at why the other members of the team hadn't shown up yet when she felt him slam her in the side of her face changing her train of thought and biting her tongue in the process already became an annoyance. Nightingale skidded across the ground trying to get herself on stable ground again before she rushed forward to try and attack, but flashes appeared in her mind of Slade towering over her causing her to halt her process of wanting to attack. This gave her villain the edge however grinning at her before slamming her into a nearby building holding her in place while wrapping his hands around her neck choking her while her staff clattered to the ground. She struggled continuing to she flashes of Slade appear in her mind feeling her own hands burning bright with a familiar feeling her eyes changing quickly changing to the haunting purple that many were so used to seeing her have reaching up and gripping onto his wrist feeling the patches that were placed there only moments ago infuriating her.

She tightened her grip feeling the flames licking across her fingertips, but she ignored it seeing a flash of purple energy explode from them while an inferno of the same color traveled along his wrists and burned the patches causing him to cry out in pain letting go of her neck feeling the air rush back to her lungs while she crouched to the ground trying not to cough up a lung in the process. She gritted her teeth glaring at the man who was now trying to stop the flames on his hands, but they soon disappeared on their own once she knew what she had done. She was about to stand up when she noticed a blur of red and green smash into the unsuspecting culprit's face spotting the other titans coming around the corner while she reached for her throat wondering it any marks had been made with the sound of sirens filling her ears guessing that one of the escaped civilians had called the police or a silent alarm had gone off…her train of thought stopped abruptly seeing Robin giving her an angry glare from across the way while he was placing handcuffs on the perpetrator he had knocked out, but she ignored it standing up and walking over to the duffel bag hoping that her suspicious from earlier were incorrect bending down and pulling it open to reveal a slew of the patches from that she had seen the man put on earlier were placed neatly in baggies…meaning there was a possibility they were selling it on the streets. Anger flared up in her mind feeling someone place their hand on her shoulder making her whip her head around to see Robin was about ready to give her a lecture which wasn't something she needed right now.

"I thought I told you to observe Nightingale not try and take a whole team down by yourself. I don't need you being reckless around civilians and after your fight with Slade we still aren't sure the damage-." She droned him out through his whole little spiel before and it was starting to become an annoyance even to the other members of the team though the same way of course they were still on edge about him running around in the Red X costume, but that was something to be touched upon later. She finally snapped back out of her own internal rant towards him to hear the end of his speech. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh yes defiantly fearless leader I am listening, but I wasn't going to stand by and watch a civilian is in danger!" She whipped around glaring at him both staring each other down like their lives depended on it while the other titans looked between them with slight curiosity and worry. Raven watched out of the corner of her eye spotting a few people gathering around pulling out their phones knowing that they were possibly trying to film the two yelling at each other, but personally she couldn't blame Nightingale since Robin had her cooped up in the tower for too long…the violet eyed girl frowned at the thoughts that were crossing through her mind at the moment. "Seriously you can't just baby me anymore over what happened. I am feeling great and Slade isn't even bothering me at the moment unlike you who has a damn stick up his ass about a villain…God you are just as bad as Ba-."

Nightingale stopped herself knowing she was going to go too far, but that wasn't another reason she started to spot the black flecks again though they were much smaller than the ones that had appeared before coming off of her lower arms in small patches. She crossed her arms quickly and let out a low and shaky sigh noticing the others were hoping she would finish what she was saying and even Robin was on the edge of his seat right now ready to snap back at her with a rebuttal, but she didn't want to hear it. Nightingale picked up the duffel bag off the ground and threw it at Robin earning a surprised expression to appear on his face while a few patches fell out onto the ground his mood from earlier changed to confusion watching her walk past him with her shoulders hanging low in defeat.

"Just…just test those. See if there are traces of a strength enhancer in them and destroy the rest that haven't been tested. None of this gets out onto the streets…whatever those patches are they need to dealt with as soon as possible." She mumbled while walking past the rest of them taking in her dejected look was apparent to most of them, but Raven noticed the tiny hint of emotions clouding her azure eyes…anger…fear…and guilt were all wrapped into them so clearly that the feeling in her chest exploded inside making her grasp at her chest turning away from the others angered by its sudden appearance again of those accursed emotions that she couldn't place running through her mind though they were soon subsiding quickly which was one of the better things about them. She bit her lower lip glancing at Nightingale walking away once more hoping whatever was happening to her meant that she might not be the only one suffering from it trying to ignore the others while they spoke to Robin trying to get a definite answer of what had gone on though Beast Boy was able to support Nightingale's idea that they shouldn't be ordered to stand by when they know that people are in danger. Robin started to feel the swell of anger disappear once Nightingale had left was soon replaced with guilt knowing it wasn't right to baby her…but she didn't hear what her nightmares were screaming about already feeling himself fade back to the few nights he actually watched, but he only stayed for a few moments watching from a distance.

 _A few days before her full recovery_

Robin watched her from afar leaning against the wall with silence filling the air knowing that she was soon going to be alright. He frowned trying not to remember how she looked on the roof feeling flashes of images already clouding his mind at the thought of having her injured once again because of a mistake he had made. Sure the incident with the Joker wasn't his fault and it was neither hers, but he felt guilty for letting her slip through his fingers that night and haunted him like his parents death. He thought back further to when they would go out on night patrols together taking down bad guys with ease even if she was the one that got hurt the most out of the two whenever Alfred would tend to her wounds she would always have that wide grin on her face like it had all just been a thrill to her on many occasions he heard her yell a quip back at most of the villains which almost made him laugh in the middle of battle. Even now he was trying to stifle a laugh so he wouldn't wake her, but she stirred in her sleep muttering making him curious over what was going on.

He moved from his position on the wall walking towards her carefully trying to avoid making any sound with his boots hearing her mumble louder and move again spotting her heart spiking on the monitor wondering what was going through her thoughts to cause such an impact on her heart when he was finally close enough to hear her mutters.

"N-no…please leave me alone I-I'm not what you think…" she mustered out of her mouth with the sound shuttering through her voice like she was in pain over what was going on. The bandages had been removed from her arms earlier in the week, but something caught his eye seeing black specks fluttering off of her arm in the moonlight escaping through the window making her illuminate in the night making him pay more attention to the specks even trying to catch one of them only for it to dissipate on contact with his gloves making him curious at what was expelling from her, but he soon drowned his own thought hearing her speak slightly terrified. "N-no stay away from them….Leave them alone…"

He was curiously wondering if she was having a dream about Slade, but it didn't take him long to know she was having a nightmare one that wasn't physical like the ones that Raven had mentioned to him after her birthday knowing that she had a few incidences at the Wayne manor where Alfred locked him out of the room because she was having a fit of some sorts, but he never learned what it was nor did he ever want to bring it up to her since she seemed to be so distraught about it all. He saw her stir again noticing that she seemed to be waking up making him go behind the curtain quickly hoping the light from the moon wouldn't give him away hearing her gasp loudly while springing up from her laying position hearing the heart monitor go nuts for a second before subsiding hearing her heavy breathing echo through the room like she was trying to hold something back. He peaked through the curtain spotting more and more specks floating around in the air while she held her head in one hand revealing a bright glowing purple eye while her other had been covered by her hand…just like how she looked when they were fighting Slade though he only caught a glimpse of it while he was falling. Her body was shaking in the moonlight holding back whatever was wanting to come out of her throat, but all that came out was a small whimper before she started to rub her eyes revealing them to be changing back slowly to the azure color he was used to seeing though a glimpse of her hand caught him off guard spotting black dots running up along her hand and down to her wrist, but they seemed to be fading away quickly peeling off the skin and entering the air before turning to dust. She seemed to finally relax before falling back asleep mumbling something under her breath that he didn't quite catch before watching her chest rise and fall peacefully appearing to ignore the incident that had just happened.

He had left the room soon after ignoring the fact that he might wake her up again, but he needed to run tests…and hope that he was wrong about what he was trying to conclude wondering if Cyborg still had some remaining blood samples from the test that he had him run earlier that day.

 _Back to the present_

Robin soon snapped out of it when he felt Starfire tug on his shoulder making sure he was still there only giving her a small nod and handing the duffel bag over to Cyborg knowing that he would test it. He knew the blood test still wasn't in yet, but he just wanted to make sure he was wrong about what he was thinking about her…if his theory was correct she would have to come clean about it in front of everyone and if he was wrong he might stop treating her like a child, but that would have to wait. He wanted to know what had her so miffed about the patches even now while he was picking up the loose ones that had fallen out he noticed a familiar green hue to them making him shutter at the thought of what they could be infused with when she suggested a 'muscle enhance' hoping what she was hinting at had to be wrong and if she was right…then they all had trouble on their hands.

 _Later on during the middle of the day_

Nightingale stared up at the her ceiling glaring at it with slight irritation remembering the conversation she had with Robin after he finally came from the tower's crime lab revealing to all of them that the patches contained small dosages of Venom and were destroyed after he tested enough to know that it wasn't just a fluke in the system. The others had been sent on patrols to see if there were any other chances that the stuff had been entered onto the street, but so far it seemed to be this had just been a the only batch supposedly. Her frown seemed to grow more and more at the thought knowing fully well that they weren't looking in the right places, but every time she even tried to interject Robin would shoot her a look though that wasn't the worst thing she had to deal with at the moment. Robin had literally forbid her from participating in the searches with the memory burning fresh in her mind causing a low growl to escape from her throat remembering hearing him say that she was taking this personal. It wasn't that…sure Robin knew the effects on a user like Bane, but on a normal person with no experience having the drug in their system just like that JD kid who was ingesting the stuff by the beaker. She shivered at the thought of seeing someone that buffed up again wondering how Wendy was doing since she lost contact with her after witness protection took her away, but from what she had heard last she was safe and sound somewhere in the middle of the U.S.A enjoying her new life. She frowned for a moment getting an odd sensation rushing through her body before ignoring it knowing now she was going to need to figure out something to do while she was now designated to stay in the tower once more hoping it wasn't going to be a normal thing now that this new type of venom had hit the streets.

She reached for her phone that she had thrown a few minutes ago glancing at the contact that had shown up on her notifications again seeing that the number from earlier had left another message making her curious since it was taking her mind off of Robin's decision unlocking her phone glancing over the message for a second only to be confused seconds later trying to reread it to understand what was being pushed across though certainly it seemed like it was a joke at first until she read a bit more towards the messages below before deleting them out of the sudden disturbed feeling she was getting from them. She carefully placed it back on her bed and got up stretching her arms before hearing a satisfied pop come from her back exiting her room moments later spotting that the lights pouring out of the opened doors from the ops room though the silence that hung in the air was enough to make her guess that whoever was last in the room never shut off the light or even closed the door for that matter. Nightingale strolled down the hallway carefully taking in the extreme silence that befell the tower when the others weren't around…it was oddly calming to say the least stepping through the threshold noticing the room hum to life making her guess right spotting none of the titans clamoring in the ops room or relaxing in general with the only sound being made from the walls with the internal computers continuing to let out their low rumbles from their fans.

The urge to look at the computer was becoming apparent while she was trying to ignore the nagging feeling that was telling her she should at least look at where they had searched so far, but that wouldn't be taking her mind off of it now would it? She let out a low sigh moving towards the kitchen wanting to get her train of thought onto something else digging through the cabinets to see if she still had any hot chocolate left since she was trying to lower her caffeine intake since her nightmares…she blinked trying to remember how long ago that was, but it was hard to focus on when she could hear a low chuckle resonating from the back of her mind knowing that they never were truly over grabbing a cup from one cupboard over still trying to ignore the feeling that someone was watching her every move making her glance around for just a second placing her items onto the counter before moving to get the milk from the fridge and being careful not to grab the soy stuff Beast Boy was trying so hard for her to drink though on occasion he would try and put some into coffee that he tried to offer to her once…that didn't end so well for him remembering his fearful face before she dumped the rest of the contents of the coffee onto his head with murderous intent pouring from her eyes.

She poured the milk into the plain white mug and placed it into the microwave to warm it up enough to give it a cozy feeling before mixing in the cocoa powder she had just for a stressful situation like this taking in a deep breath with the smell of chocolate and peppermint filling her lungs making her feel calm for what seemed like something she hadn't been able to really do these past few months. Her mind wandered away from the mission the titans were on at the moment thinking back to the first months that she was even here…was it really that long ago that she appeared to them like some sort of antagonist? Carefully she picked up the steaming mug up from the counter and took a careful sip glancing at the computer system wondering if Robin had a file on everything sure there was a possibility he wasn't like Bat's making plans to deal with rogue team members, but there was also an extreme probability it might be stored on the computer or in his room stuffed full of notes. She didn't want to have a chance of being spotted by him searching through the filing cabinet in his room so the only option was going to be the computer. Placing the still hot mug down onto the counter again she walked towards the machine hearing it humming softly while it was in sleep mode tapping the screen for a second watching the machine whirl loudly at being disturbed before booting up the whole way. She slid down into the seat pulling down the keypad noticing a few files had been added on about the patches from earlier making her eagerness to check them over coming her finding the arrow already hovering over it and clicking onto the folder revealing the newly entered files.

Her azure eyes scanned across them curiously spotting a extremely nonexistent suspect list giving the information on the perpetrators from the police catching a few notes taking in that this was their first time, but it was so unusual how unified it was even glancing over the surveillance videos from both the station and the jewelry store that had been their target. The curiosity inside was building up pulling up the next thing in the file revealing it to be the maps of Jump City showing the most prominent areas that would likely be having at least some type of activity similar to the incident, but they were looking in the wrong places making a low snort escape from her nose in displeasure thinking of a few choice words she wanted to say to the young detective wondering if he lost his touch since leaving Batman's tutelage. She flicked the picture up making it appear on the larger window monitor looking at the places that had been circled with a broader angle standing up from the chair and taking a few steps back. Now it was very plain to see that Robin had gotten the pinpoint areas wrong by just the width of the search spots were enough to make her visibly wince at the thought of even searching for the Venom there.

Nightingale quickly went back to the computer typing away and moving the circles to different places noting that the areas she had highlighted trying to see if any reports of break ins and thefts were on the rise in certain properties using reports filed by the police using them as correspondents guessing that Robin already tried this. She stepped back again noticing the areas were growing towards the parts of the city that were more patrolled by police officers than the titans since even they needed to sleep at some point of the night meaning she might actually have a chance to look for more information towards the case, but soon an annoying thought came across her mind knowing it was going to be hard to even get Robin on board with this much less going after petty crooks to get answers. Her mouth went dry just thinking of trying to explain it to him knowing fully well he wouldn't be up to letting her go the information route, but that might only be their choice if they were going to find out who was making the Venom patches. She was so focused on the map she ignored the soft sound of footsteps approaching her from behind until it seemed to be too late jumping at the sudden sound of a familiar monotone voice speaking towards her.

"What are you doing?" Raven questioned while raising her eyebrow slightly noticing the black-haired heroine had visibly shown that she was terrified by the sound of her voice in the quiet room. She watched her turn on her heels to try and give her an innocent look though the cloaked heroine already knew what she was up to looking up at the map she had seen Robin make earlier in the day taking in that the patterns had been changed around to what looked like more viable places to search than the ones which were still visible. She crossed her arms staring at her with a blank expression waiting for her answer only to earn a sigh of defeat at the thought of being caught.

"Fine…I thought I would look at the mission briefing, but you have to admit the places Robin picked didn't even match the reports that had been filtered in." She quickly rushed over to the computer and brought up the files to prove her point. "Look I don't know where he has been having you guys look, but everyone on the team are thinking in the wrong you guys need to be more focused on trying to find out who they are getting them from not where." She turned back towards Raven showing slight pride in what she had done though she didn't know how the cloaked girl would react to her idea.

"So…what you're saying is sending us all out to the new locations and get the answers out of anyone there that looks shady?" Raven replied her voice not changing once to show any interest in the plan, but she couldn't argue that it was much better than trying to locate the place where the patches originated. "That…actually doesn't seem to be a terrible idea."

The words came out of her mouth before she could even stop them watching Nightingale's smile grow wider at the acknowledgement. She could feel her cheeks burning at the moment, but ease came over her knowing that her hood was covering her face the parts that were generating such heat feeling her heart jump seeing her smile, but the feeling only lasted for a second. Throughout her process of healing she rarely saw Nightingale relaxed let alone smile like this was starting to become a rare occurrence anymore it was starting to worry everyone even Robin who was babying her since her injuries actually turned out to be worse than what they thought. She had suffered from a large laceration on the back of her head that was easy to heal, but when they actually examined her it showed that Slade did a lot more damage than what was seen on the battlefield noting a few fractures on her ribs and her left ankle had sustained some tears from when Starfire let drop from the air. Her feeling flashed in her mind making her remember the feeling of panic seeing her motionless on the roof, but her mind also lingered on the times she stayed in the room while she was still recovering two days before she woke. The warmth she would feel when she held her hand and the sudden sensation of actually being able to just feel at peace was enough to make her want to come back, but once Robin started keeping an eye on her it was much harder to even try. Raven couldn't place why she was having those types of feelings like possession and a need to be around her constantly, but the sudden sound of someone snapping their fingers trying to get her attention brought her back trying to keep her stoic appearance, but she could already feel it fading.

"Hey you okay there you spaced out when I started talking?" Nightingale asked curiously her voice seeming to drip with it watching the cloaked heroine nod towards her giving her a sign to repeat what she had said earlier, but something seemed off. "What I was saying is that I want to give this information to Robin, but I know he won't go for it if I bring it up. I personally don't want to go by myself since that would be…" she coughed for a second trying to not think about what Robin did as Red X though her cheek still stung sometimes at the memories that wanted to fill in her mind shaking them off for now. "It would be bad if I handled this myself, but I know Robin doesn't like my methods...it's all we have and if Venom starts getting into deadlier hands it might turn ugly."

"So what are you going to do?" Raven commented knowing fully well what she was going to hear come out of her mouth next making her hold her hand up in the air to stop her thinking it over in her mind. She technically wasn't going lone wolf like how Robin did with Slade, but there was also there was a huge possibility that taking such a risk like this might make them end up with nothing to show for it. Of course she knew the underlying reason for why she was doing this…sure she didn't approve, but Robin wasn't showing any signs of backing off from Nightingale any time soon. The violet-haired teen finally agreed to it inside her mind, though logically it was just stupid to do so she just could tell that she couldn't just say no to her anyways because she would go ahead and go on her own. "Fine…I'll agree to go with you, but I want to be back before the others come back."

Nightingale resisted the urge to hug the cloaked girl knowing it would be something inappropriate to do at the time, but they didn't need to waste time now rushing over to the computer and linking her communicator to it to get a download of the map before moving past the cloaked heroine going off to her room to grab her equipment before they headed out not knowing what would be in store for them once they left the tower.

 _Hours later in the middle of the night_

Raven and Nightingale crept through the dark streets and the rooftops above before hiding in the shadows on a few occasions going to each location on the GPS of her communicator hitting a few dead ends on the first three they came upon making both of them slowly start to lose hope. Raven glanced over watching Nightingale jump over to the next rooftop with the sound of her bow and quiver shaking against her back taking in that they were just above their next targeted area getting the sinking sensation that this was going to be another dead end. She could feel her mind start to wander remembering the conversation that Robin had with the group after Nightingale stormed out of the ops room after hearing that she would be left off the case. She frowned really not wanting to remember, but it was hard to ignore it following behind her so closely just made it burst forward keeping her mind off the task at hand.

 _Hours earlier after the first incident_

A low sigh hung in the air from Robin's mouth when he watched Nightingale storm out of the before he turned towards the others a solid frown appeared on his face, but the worry could be read from his mask while he walked over to the computer typing in a sort of code bringing up a file. It appeared to be test done on some blood work scanning over the report noticing Nightingale's name was in the upper hand corner made her swallow hard at the realization of what Robin was proposing, but she wasn't the first one to pose a question towards their leader.

"Uh…dude I don't know why you're showing this to us." Beast Boy spoke looking at all the percentiles that covered the sheet and the few notes that were jotted here barely able to understand what had been written. "But I really think Nightingale should be here for this…" he was about to go after her, but Robin gave him a look that made the green imp stand his ground.

"Why this is up on the screen if for your eyes only. If she knew what I did I don't think that it would end well." Robin sounded calm and collective meaning something was up, but there was also a hint of something…guilt probably for doing this behind her back. He pointed up towards the numbers before he continued to speak causing concern to appear on the other titans faces. "As you three know I was watching Nightingale through the nights making sure she didn't rush off anywhere to go after Slade or try any hero work on her own while she was healing…one night I saw an anomaly happen and it was picked up by the heart monitor spiking so I have evidence to back myself up. I started to run test on her blood to see if the anomaly was connected, but from what I could see is that I needed fresher samples than what Cyborg had…"

"Man please don't tell me you took blood from her while she was unconscious." Cyborg commented earning a small gasp from Starfire while Raven stared at him with slight shock towards his actions. Robin didn't acknowledge it, but it was apparent to see it written on his face when he looked back towards the larger screen not wanting to admit to what he had done. "Robin that's not cool man if she ever finds out she's going to-."

"She is never going to find out Cyborg just as long as none of you tell her. Look while I was running the test something happened to her blood in the vials they seemed to set off something and caused a minor explosion in the analyst machine...I know it might be a hunch, but I think she is hiding something from us all."

He noticed a few members of the team look back and forth between each other before landing their eyes on him. Robin could already feel them judging him silently for what he was probably going to say, but they didn't see what she looked like on the night he saw the anomaly in person so they had room to doubt him on what he was going to say making him let out a tired sigh slightly annoyed before he started to walk away shutting the computer off along the way.

"I know it's hard to show trust towards me after what I did, but if any of you are around her or just happen to see her through the rest of the day keep an eye on her and watch what she does." He muttered loud enough for them to hear while he was leaving the room to try and see if he could run some more test on the few samples he had left, but he might have to find a new blood analysis machine just in case.

 _Back to the two heroines on patrol_

Raven had watched him walk away feeling her arms move closer to her chest feeling an odd peg of anger toward the caped crusader looking forwards towards the black-haired heroine before her not sensing anything was wrong with her, but an odd and eerie feeling overcame her remembering the person from Nightingale's nightmare that she had witnessed firsthand making her wonder if Robin was possibly right about her having at least some sort of power? She healed extremely quickly for just a normal person, but she could just chalk that up to an anomaly in her genes, but the person from her nightmare…she only caught a glimpse of them before she shot at them with her own energy. It almost seemed like they were an exact copy of the heroine in front of her but the colors were off and so was the skin…the eyes were the haunting purple most members of the team had spotted appearing on her multiple times though she shuttered remembering seeing those eyes boring into her filled with anger before the copy disappeared though she tried to contain her body's volatile movement to keep her composure. She bit her bottom lip staring again at the girl before seeing her wave her hand forward while she peered over the side of the building trying to catch her attention. Raven walked over slowly looking over seeing some activity giving Nightingale a side glance watching her pull out the device she had on her that they had been using the whole time they had been on their little outing.

It was some sort of listening device she snagged from her room that she had been working on recently cranking up the dial slowly to the right volume before putting in a pair of large headphones placing them over her ears pointing a dish that was in her hand towards the activity on the ground. It was muffled at first, but the voices soon became clear hearing a deal of some sorts going on, but it was hard to make out what they were trying to sell spotting a duffel bag on the ground in the clear moonlight that almost matched the one that had the venom patches in it. She held her free hand up towards Raven giving her a hold signal trying to listen better to what was going on, but a small grin soon started to form on her face before sliding off and turning the volume up so the other girl could hear noticing her companion was now crouching with her on the edge of the building to listen to the voices coming through the headphones.

' _You have the stuff man? I've been waiting here for hours just wanting to test it out.'_ the voice was definitely a male though it was hard to identify his age since it sounded like he had been smoking since he was young making it hard to even guess at the moment. He had a few other men behind him making small chatter amongst themselves, but from what it sounded like they were all in it for the same thing with the eager tones that were being picked up by both of the heroes.

' _Keep your voice down man. If the cops hear you it might be the end of my little operations…I don't think my boss would enjoy happening to get me out of jail because of your sorry asses.'_ The other voice sounded almost familiar and cold, but Nightingale couldn't really place it at the moment unless they were able to get down there and see for themselves. _'I already know the idiots that I sold this stuff to earlier gotten caught by the titans and the damned black- haired hero so I don't want to deal with them catching on that this shit is in a more obtainable form. I can't wait to see her face when she gets her ass beat by you meatheads and this stuff starts to travel further than she expects it to…now about my payment.'_

Nightingale tore herself from the headset and watched from the roof slightly thankful towards the moon at the moment giving her a clear view of the duffel bag on the ground while the person who had asked about his payment had bent down to open revealing what they had been looking for seeing the familiar green hue of the patches glowing in the moonlight. She turned her listening device off glad that it recorded the voices enough to get evidence on them to have it stand for the police and the court system, but that would be much better if they could get physical evidence. She was about to stand up only to feel someone grab onto her sleeve of her costume glancing over at her companion who appeared to be giving her a stern look signaling that they shouldn't go down there though they really didn't have much of a choice.

"Why are you stopping me? We listened to them enough and now we know that the Venom is going to be hitting the streets a lot more. If we catch the dealer down there we can find out where they are storing getting rid of the source." She hissed lowly trying to whisper quietly to her companion not wanting to tip off the people down below of their presence, but it would almost be impossible for them to notice in the first place since they were up so high and almost out of sight.

"We don't know how many of them are down there first of all and second we need the others to be here so we can actually have at least a chance of catching all of them." Raven replied in her own hush tone, but she seemed slightly angered at the thought of rushing into the alley guns blazing if it was just the two of them. There was a huge possibility that the people would run for the patches just to get a better chance against both heroes and they would be taken down with no problem. The two girls glared at each other knowing that they were both right on the matter, but one was too stubborn to admit that the cloaked heroine was right. Nightingale was about to open her mouth again to give a rebuttal something few by her face almost grazing her cheek making her look down towards the alley below with a curse hanging on her lips seeing the dealer had spotted them…they hadn't been quiet enough. Before she could react a force pushed her across the roof while she tried and struggled to stop whatever was forcing her to even move in the first place digging her boots into the roof finally stopping herself and the assailant. She looked up her azure eyes holding a bit of shock when she met emerald green eyes while a sly smirk was placed on JD's face making her wonder if consecutive use of Venom caused that anomaly, but her surprise was soon replaced with anger when she slammed her forehead into his earning a loud cry of pain to emanate from his mouth making him let go of her stepping back from her while a low growl emerged from her mouth pulling her shock batons out.

JD soon recovered smirking at her again noticing he was bleeding from the middle of his forehead wondering how hard she even hit him before focusing on the task at hand. Her hand reached back and clicked her communicator on noticing Raven had done the same thing behind the lanky figure of the man between the both of them while they seemed to be hoping that the titans would be able to get there in time before the other people from the alley noticed their dealer needed help. Personally he seemed more focused on her at the moment pulling out two of the patches placing them onto his arms covering them up quickly with his sleeves seeing the change already happening watching his grin grow wider while his green eyes seemed to glow in the night making her assumption correct to a degree. She readied herself waiting for him to attack, but shock appeared on her face once more seeing him so close to her face slamming a fist into her gut knocking the wind right out of her before another strike landed on her cheek hurling her across the roof again to the side crashing into an air condition unit that seemed to be scattered at random points on the building itself. She grimaced trying to pull herself out of the dent she was trapped in freeing herself moments before another strike was able to land on its target.

She smirked up at him slamming her foot into his chin causing him to bite his tongue in agony before slamming both of her feet into his chest pushing him back enough for her to have room to maneuver. She hurled a few blows towards him with her fists electricity surging out of them every now and again from the batons slightly glad she installed a sort of pulse system to them thanks to Cyborg. He was able to block most of her hits with his arms, but a few of her blows landed on his chest forcing him to start moving backwards. Nightingale grinned happily finally getting the upper hand on him only for it to soon fade when he started throwing punches back even landing a solid kick to her side knocking her back once more and possibly starting back at square one. She could feel the heavy breaths leaving her throat rattling her to the core watching the small specks of black appear off her body in the moonlight while a low whisper entered into her mind telling her she should do it. She shook the words out of her mind before curled her hands around her batons again charging them up for the fight ahead before running forwards towards her target watching him attack more of the patches to his arm making her wonder where he even was storing them in the first place hurling an electrically charged punch towards his face hoping for a quick knock out, but he caught her fist letting the surge of energy travel through his arm while a low chuckle escaped from his mouth.

"Trying to shock me unconscious again? You don't have your powerhouse with you…by the way where is Wendy? I want to thank her for the cushy amount of time that I spent in jail because of her testimony towards me." She could hear the malice dripping in is voice before feeling his hands cover hers gripping them tightly like he was trying to break them sending pain traveling down her arms watching them shake under the grip. "You and the damned titans ruined everything especially that damned cloaked teammate of yours…but my new associates will be dealing with her very quickly."

Nightingale's eyes widened at the sudden realization that her teammate might be in danger tearing her eyes away from the foe before her noticing a grin plastered on his face spotting Raven struggling to even stop the men that had surrounded her trying to keep them away with tendrils grabbing and pushing them away for only two more to come back at full force. She wanted to rush over and help the cloaked girl, but her strength faltered just for a moment giving JD the edge he was looking for pushing her down hearing her gasp slightly at the sudden stronger sensation of pain that had been applied to her arms making her crumple a bit to the ground. He soon was able to pick her up and throw her against the door that lead inside the building hearing it snap under the pressure feeling splinters jabbing her in the back. The specks of black started to pour off more her eyes boring into the green that had her pinned while JD smirked above her seeming to be glad of the position they were in at the moment hearing Raven still fighting on in the background seeming to be winning. He gripped onto her chin hard making her want to grit her teeth at the sudden pressure hoping he wasn't going to break her jaw while he moved himself closer almost using his body to pin her down with his grin growing wider and wider while she squirmed under him. She felt his hot breath on her neck causing a disturbed feeling to overcome her body at the sudden realization of what might be happening hearing the voice once again screaming at her to get out of there, but she wasn't able to move from the fear that had bubbled up inside of her chest hearing the words escaping from his mouth.

"You know I heard from a pretty girl that you used to do so many things just to please her…I wonder if you'll do this for me without making a sound. I mean it might be nice to feel for once." He whispered in her ear causing her to shutter in disgust wondering how he even knew _**her**_ in the first place, but that wasn't what she wanted to focus on at the moment. She wanted and willed herself to move only to feel the memories flooding into her mind at the sensation of a body on top of her…the smell of sweat and something while someone was watching from the other side just sitting there with a large grin plastered on their face while hazel eyes continued to linger and glow in the darkness that surrounded her. Nightingale wanted to gag at the sudden sensation of feeling helpless again and thinking of _**her**_ hearing the voice screaming louder telling her that she needed to get out of this…that they wouldn't be degraded to this no not again. She could feel the tears building up wondering if Raven was able to help or someone was going to save her, but it wasn't like rescue was going to come for her any time soon.

Nightingale looked away from him hearing Raven shout in pain snapping her to attention only spotting one of the men from the alley tear a piece of pipe from the roof ready to raise it up threatening to bring it down onto the cloaked heroine's head who was now on the ground trying to get back up from an attack that had happened only moments earlier. Her eyes burn with rage before an inhuman snarl escaped from her throat startling JD for a second slamming her head into his once more causing him to back off again her eyes burning purple. She spun on her heel quickly slamming him hard in the side knocking him into one of the other air conditioner units rushing forwards towards Raven shouting at her to move. The voice appear again in the back of her mind screaming to protect her at all cost…before she knew it she had rammed into the man pushing him off into a thing of trash hearing his body clatter against the bins that were left to be picked up in the morning. Ragged breaths escaped from her throat turning towards the men that were still around Raven who had stopped in their tracks with the magic user given a moment to breathe glancing back at the black haired heroine glad to see that she was okay…her train of thought changed seeing the black specks floating around in the air with purple hollow eyes staring at all the people that had surrounded her.

An odd smirk appeared on the black heroine's face creating an appearance of malice towards the attackers causing a shiver to travel up the magic user's spine watching the men rush forward hearing the dealer scream at them to engage, but they weren't going to last long watching her finally put her batons away pulling her bow off her shoulder and grabbing a few arrows from the quiver spotting three glimmering in the moonlight. She quickly aimed going for the ones hanging in the back targeting their looser parts of their clothing before letting the arrows fly pinning them to the roof watching the three that were caught squirm trying to get free, but the arrows were dug too far into the tar covered roof it would be unlikely that they would escape from this. She moved to dodge the few punches that were being thrown by the two remaining member with the black specks rolling off her body more and more while her lazy purple eyes watched with boredom before a large smirk was plastered on her face once more slamming her bow into one of the stomach of one of the last standing members noticing that there were only two left, but before she even could do anything to them though the sound of the other titans rushing forward to help them stopped her in her tracks with the black specks slowly dissipating into the air while the purple hue to her eyes soon snapped away at the sudden realization of what she had done hearing the voice once again ringing in her head telling her that it was good to be in control…she gripped her bow out of anger almost wanting to snap it knowing that _**it**_ took control for those few seconds, but for what reason she couldn't figure it out why it even wanted that in the first place.

Nightingale turned quickly to see if JD was still there, but he seemed to have disappeared when the other titans had shown up making her anger grow more inside wishing she would have planted a tracker on him. She heard the familiar sound of steel toed boots walking towards her knowing she was going to get scolded by Robin for leaving the tower, but she didn't want to hear it right now. She started to move away from where he was walking earning a shout coming from the masked hero knowing eventually she would hear it from him later on, but right now she had to talk to a certain thing at the actions taken before the titans showed up…Raven might have even possibly saw…no it wouldn't have been an option right? While she walked away she looked towards the group noticing Robin had given up in his chase with a disappointed look on his face while the others stared at her with worry, but Raven's face was almost unreadable though her violet eyes said it all…like they wanted to keep what they saw to themselves.

 _The morning after_

Azure eyes stared up at the ceiling enveloped by the music that filled the room wondering if it was bothering the other titans while they were all waking up from the night that they had. She closed her eyes for just a moment knowing that she hadn't gotten any sleep from the night before too worried about where JD had run off to and wanting to catch him was keeping her up…along with the memories that had been stirred up by what he was going to do to her. It soon changed to a different tune hearing the song _Wolf in Sheep's Clothing_ by _Set It Off_ started to infect the area around her while her mind started to wanted into old memories that were burned back into it wondering how they could still even be so vivid now like she was still continuing to experience the things that _**she**_ put her through just to please her into getting the love she felt towards…she shook her head ignoring the sudden gut wrenching feeling that filled her stomach making her want to throw up. She had curled herself up into a ball on her rolling chair that sat in front of her computer with an open email towards Misty and James had been left open revealing she had been keeping them updated on the events that had happened recently, but she didn't have the heart to send it. Nightingale had been too preoccupied with her own thoughts to feel the sudden sensation that she was being watched only to really pay attention to it when she heard a familiar low chuckle travel through the air sending an alerted shiver down her back trying not to look over towards her bed noticing the white cladded double was starting at her with the burning purple eyes with a sense of pity resonating from them.

Her double stared at her for a few more moments before getting up from their spot watching the girl before he flinch for just once second, but it was showing her what the girl was feeling right now. A low grimace appeared on their pale features angered at what the JD boy had caused both of them to feel, but right now wasn't the time to start plotting it's revenge…though right now it was needed to do something that it really hated. The double moved forwards placing it's cold hands onto the girl's shoulders trying to reassure her that everything was fine, but that might not be enough to keep her mind off the thoughts that were appearing in both of their heads. A low sigh escaped from the double mouth seeming to be slightly irritated at what it was going to have to say to the girl, but right at this possible second it was needed.

' _Are you really going to let what that idiotic boy said to you get stuck in your head? There is no possible way that he knew_ _ **her**_ _at any point during his incarceration so there is no need to be bothered by it._ ' the double's voice held hints of malice, but there were a few drops of sincerity mixed in to at least show some sign that they might actually care even if it was short lived. ' _Besides we were able to save your…teammate from getting her head bashed in so there shouldn't be…?_ '

The double was soon taken aback noticing that the girl was now standing and staring straight at her with her azure eyes boring straight into its purple and black ones making it slightly unnerving since it was so used to the girl avoiding her gaze. Right now it was the one that wanted to avoid looking at the girl, but there was no possible way of avoiding it when she heard her voice ring out through the air.

"Why do you even care about Raven? The last I even heard from you was that you hated her for being able to hurt you. So why is it that you even care that she was saved in the first place?" Nightingale asked finally able to push the memories away from her mind at the moment to focus on what her double had said. She watched the figure do something that was unusual…they looked nervous to answer, but the truth was it had been thankful for saving the girl from that Slade person and soon after that there suddenly became an attachment to the magic user…yet it could also feel it resonating from the girl as well though it was more developing than what it was feeling…such a familiar ache that pained either of them to admit what was going on. She noticed the double soon relax giving her a quick smirk before appearing in front of her grabbing her by the chin causing the fresh memories of JD planting his grubby hands on her had been enough to cause her to shutter.

' _What I think about that magic user is none of your business. Now dear child if I were you I would focus more on the mission you are on at hand.'_ Her double sounded like it had malice yet cheerful tone to their voice sounding as if it was trying to, but before Nightingale could even question them further they had soon disappeared back into the dark reaches of her mind making a disgruntled tsk noise escape from her throat…she had been making that noise a lot lately. She looked away from the spot that once held something there only to hear a ding come from her computer notifying her that someone had sent her an email making her slightly curious moving back towards her computer opening the message not knowing the address that it had been sent from since it wasn't stored in her contacts. Part of her really hoped that she just didn't open a random thing of junk mail or some malware that would infect her computer soon, but she soon had those thoughts disappear quickly happening to reread the message over and over again with the sensation of anger building up inside her body wishing it was some kinda joke.

 _Hello dear sweet one~ From what I've been hearing through the grape vine is my dear sweet Celine is going all hero again when she's just as sinful as any villain walking the street. I don't think you can really pick up who this is, but if you can guess please don't try and go after that interesting man named JD he's employing a plan to lure you out on your own…and if I hear you and that stupid little rag tag group of hero wash-ups send him to jail again…well dear I feel like someone very close to you is going to be at the tail end of my wrath and we both know you can't stand to disappoint me~_

 _-S_

She gritted her teeth hearing a low hiss come from the back of her throat already displeased by the sudden threatening nature of the message, but it couldn't be _**her**_ she was still…no there wasn't a possible way for her to even get out of there. The black specks once again flared up around her almost in a suffocating motion while her eyes began to once again burn purple with rage her arms visibly shaking at the making her want to at least punch something…and the poor thing that got attacked was the computer monitor. An anger filled snarl left her throat slamming her first through the screen feeling something try to cut along her costume, but was unable to because of the material. Purple flames expelled from her hand melting parts of the circuits while sparks started to expel from it making her slowly realize what she had just done cursing up a storm pulling her hand out of the hole she had just put through the remnants of the glitching screen seeing the shards of the screen hitting the desk while it blinked in an out. She stared up at the window seeing her reflection covering her left eye squeezing her uncovered eye shut hoping it was just a figment of her imagination, but knowing her it wasn't that making her scramble back away blindly almost tripping on her rug. Her head was silent for once making her wonder why it hadn't said anything about what they had just read and what she had just done, but her thoughts soon disappeared hearing someone rushing towards her door knocking on it loudly.

"Nightingale are you okay in there? Starfire said she heard sounds of something breaking in there." Robin's voice could be heard through the door making her wonder when they alien girl even passed by her door to hear the disturbances. She wanted to reply opening her eye once again noticing the specks were still floating in the air around her while she tried to calm herself down glancing over at the mirror before removing her left hand from over her other eye spotting the black was slowly seeping out of the white of it while the purple hue seemed to be lingering. 'I'm going to be coming in just to make sure you-."

"I-I'm fine Robin I just had an accident with my computer is all sorry to have you guys worry." She stuttered out finally really not wanting him to see what she looked like at the moment hearing the hesitant shuffling of his feet like he was trying to fight the urge to just burst through the door and see what she was talking about. "Actually…I wanted to talk to you about…last night. I'm sorry that I went against what you said and went out…I almost put Raven in danger because of my stupidity and..." she gave a shaky sigh noticing she had finally saw the small changes had finally disappeared before she continued. "Look I should have listened to you and I understand why you've been babying me so much, but come on Robin I can handle myself. You know it's true so please don't damn argue with me on this so please just next time you plan on going after the Venom dealers then include me too…I'm a part of this team also so please don't forget that."

She heard a few hesitated breaths like he was trying to think of what to say making her move closer to the door glad that her little mental tantrum had finally gotten over itself, but now wasn't the time to be talking through a door. Carefully she placed her hand on the panel letting the door slide open scaring the boy wonder that had been standing there watching him rub the back of his neck nervously giving her a small smile like he was trying to apologize through body language instead of telling her…just like when they were younger. She gave a rough chuckle feeling her throat still affected by the snarl she had let out earlier, but it went unnoticed seeing that Robin himself was chuckling along with her making her mind slowly become at ease. He waved at her to follow hearing her footsteps follow behind him though he didn't want to ask why her computer had a fist shaped hole through it…it was still lingering in his mind while they both continued to walk in silence towards the ops room giving off small hints of chit chat. She was right however he needed to stop babying her, but he was more worried about the other members of the team hearing from Raven that if it wasn't for Nightingale being able to finally step in she would have been toast she didn't word it that way however.

Once they had entered the ops room he saw Nightingale give a worried Starfire a thumb up before almost getting squished by the alien girl happily saying she was glad nothing was wrong before he started to explain their plan of attack on the dealer hearing the black-haired heroine mention it was JD the guy they had busted a month or two back for trying to rob the bank along with the convenience store. Robin personally was slightly surprised by that, but there was enough evidence from the recording that Nightingale had from the alley way and his cohorts weren't able to keep a secret if it even meant their lives. He pulled up the warehouse that he was located at explaining the plan of attack in detail, but the azure eyed hero only listened for a few moments taking mental notes on what she was going to do afterwards. Now all the titans had to do was wait for nightfall to enact their plans…which came much faster than expected.

 _Nightfall near the location_

Nightingale watched from behind a pile of boxes outside the warehouse noting the silhouettes of the other titans rushing to their places seeing Robin give her the signal to move closer, but not too close to the point that the plan would be ruined. She gave a small nod and grabbed her grappling gun from its holster pointing it up onto the arched roof waiting for the two watchers to pass by her position before shooting it off hearing it give a soft and satisfying thud tugging on it to make sure it was secure. She grinned happily clicking the button to reel herself up the side of the building and towards the skylight that resonated light from inside spotting multiple boxes filled full of the patches they had been looking for making this to defiantly be the source. She pulled out a pair of binoculars holding herself up by one arm while trying to spot JD amongst the men finally seeing him testing the strength of the patches on a boxing stand making her wince slightly seeing it shatter after a few hits. Nightingale waited a few more seconds praying that it was going to work when she heard someone shout at her making her happy that henchmen were still as stupid as ever signaling the people inside that someone was here.

Inside the building it turned quickly to mass chaos watching JD scream at his men to shut up and search the area was enough to make Nightingale want to stop and laugh at the situation. She soon watched them all pour out of the building giving her the next phase to turn to giving herself a running start before going feet first through the skylight making glass shards rain down onto the floor below giving herself away…just like it was planned. She could see JD sneering face from up in the air, but now was not the time to gloat she scolded herself pulling out her bow and arrows pulling back on them sending a volley down towards them getting rid of half of her supply watching the rest of his men scatter, but JD stood his ground knocking the few arrows that had headed his way aside while rage burned in his emerald eyes. A large grin appeared on her face before she crashed down into a pile of crates slightly thankful that there were no patches in the boxes they needed the evidence for the courts to put him away for good. She could already hear the others fighting outside pulling her shock batons out from their place on her belt wanting this to be over already hearing JD already monologuing was enough to want to shut him up already.

"You think you damn titans won?! I can still get my way out of the system and she won't be happy to know you decided to go against her wishes! That warning should have been enough?!" His words stopped spilling out of his mouth once she cracked him across the face making him notice how close she had gotten to him in such a short distance. He also took note her eyes were burning that purple hue that he was being accustomed to making him grin manically. "They don't even know what you are do they? You chose to go after me alone so the others wouldn't see what kinda monster you are!" A sick laughter escaped from his throat watching her flinch for a second, but it was just for one moment giving him enough time to start throwing punches at her. She tried to dodge the many that were thrown, but there were a few that connected with her left shoulder causing it to spasm giving him an opening to kick her across the room slamming into a few more crates toppling them over on her.

"Oh what you've gone soft huh? Your punches barely hurt anymore so you possibly might be holding back on me, but no worries I'll end you quickly." he grinned more strolling towards the crumpled pile of wood and patches picking up a few along the way and attaching them to his arms just to give him slight edge before he continued bending himself forward so she could hear his words through the rubble. "Hm…you know I might have fun with the cloaked girl you seem so attached to…oh and don't think I didn't notice how protective you are of her. Maybe I'll make you wa-?!" He was taken by surprise by a gloved hand reaching out through the rubble wrapping around his throat slowly starting to rise and reveal the angered heroine underneath. Once more the specks swirled around her with a low rumbling noise escaping from her throat making him note the voice that was coming out of her mouth didn't sound like the person he was supposed to be taunting.

" _ **You ever dare think about touching her I will personally rip your soul apart and feed it back to you just to enjoy watching you scramble to put the pieces back together.**_ " The voice even made a shiver run up his spine at the sudden fierceness resonating from the hero feeling the malice actually rolling off her body was enough to make him slightly regret his decision. She single handedly tossed him across the room like he was nothing smashing through a few machines that were used to make the patches adhere to the venom itself, but she didn't care at the moment. Her eyes bored that unnatural purple with the black slowly sinking in through the whites of her eyes while she strolled closer to him watching him stand up shaking towards her like he was terrified…good he should be. She rushed forward with inhuman speed slamming into him knocking the wind straight out of his lungs before brandishing her fists towards him with her exposed fingers seeming to be covered in black dots along with the skin on her face. A inhuman yell tore through her throat punching him repeatedly before landing the final blow onto his left cheek hearing a sick crack echo through the air making her guess that she just broke his jaw.

She watched him slump down to the ground unconscious hearing the sirens outside signaling that the police had finally arrived, but she could hear the ragged breathes escaping from her throat while wild shutters and spasms traveled along her body ignoring them for a moment not wanting to be swallowed up by what she had just done. She leaned against the wall to her right sliding down it slowly trying to regain her composure before the others came in to see what she had down hoping they would chalk it up to both of them being thrown around a bit. She let out a rough few moments of coughs that escaped from her throat noticing her chest was aching making a note to get herself checked once they got back to the tower glancing over towards the unconscious JD hoping he was wrong about what he said along with what the message meant only to hear Starfire calling out her name with a worried tone making her snap back to reality ignoring the nagging feelings that were appearing in her mind…though maybe she might be able to have an actual decent night of sleep for once hoping nothing else was going to happen to any of them, but even she could be wrong at some points.

Once they had gotten back Nightingale had crashed in her bed after getting checked over by Cyborg who gave her an the all clear signal meaning nothing was broke not even bothering to change out of her costume knowing she would wash it in the morning lulling herself into a dreamless sleep, but she ignored the figure that had snuck into her room seeming to be quiet as a mouse watching her sleep for just a moment before taking a swab of the saliva that had dripped out of her mouth before leaving quietly like they had come their cape fluttering for a moment with the door opening revealing Robin glancing back slightly regretting what he was doing. This was just to keep him and the rest of the team safe along with understanding the girl much better along with what she could possibly be hiding from them.

 _Somewhere else in the city_

Slade stared at the screen before him tapping his fingers impatiently against the arm of his chair unamused by what had transpired on the video he was watching glancing down at the girl watching along with him seeing a smirk forming on the corner of her mouth. His eye wandered back towards the black-haired heroine and the other titan zeroing in on Robin feeling the sensation of a smile forming on his face, but he fought it off for now knowing he had a possible second apprentice to grab if the first one didn't work in his favor. This Nightingale seemed to be a positive candidate if Robin fell through, but the girl beneath him seemed to be more interested in the girl every time she appeared on the screen even seeming to be showing pleasure and amusement when her supposed partner was defeated so easily. He soon erased those thoughts from his mind ready to set his plan into action and knowing fully well that Robin would comply to his every whim with what he was going to do to his team.

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 **HAHAHAHAHA I fucking did it I got the chapter done finally! God I feel fucking proud of myself for this. I'm glad you guys stuck around to see if be finished and didn't ask constantly if it was being worked on. I am celebrating by getting myself some soda and possibly crashing later because I am exhausted.**

 **Who is this S person and is she connected to Nightingale's past along with the blonde haired girl who is seen with Slade at the end of the chapter? I dunno maybe I only hold the answers here muhahaha. Also what is up with her double and the black specks that appear around her constantly? Again only I know so muahaha.**

 **Hey guys please remember don't be afraid to ask me things or give me your theories like I really want to hear them from you no joke. I enjoy getting input from you all so please if you can leave me a PM or ask me on my Tumblr I promise I won't bite…much. I kid with you really I do I don't bite at all and wouldn't hurt a fly.**

 **Anri out!**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Hey guys glad to see you all were so excited for the last chapter and I am happy to see that you all are still patient with me not spamming my pm system for the next chapter. Lol I mean it would keep me preoccupied and actually on the chapter, but life intervenes a lot for me so it's a bit hard to type anymore. Also you all are getting so much closer to knowing what Nightingale is and her backstory and well everything to be honest with you so I am so happy to be hitting that point in the story. Does that mean we are half way through? Haha no I am still only on the first season people I still got three more to go! Though I just feel so excited to see you all either scream I told you so or holy shit that is what she is then. So here we go again with another chapter of the** _ **Nightingale's Song**_ **.**

 **Speaking of that a lot of you asked if the blonde haired girl from the last chapter was Terra and I hate to burst your bubble, but Terra doesn't have hazel eyes I think they are more bluish in appearance again I might have to look and see if I am wrong or right. No she won't be appearing until I get to season two which will be after the three…regular chapters I will be doing explaining things about Nightingale and the aftermath of what is going to happen once everything gets revealed and sacrifices and blah blah you get the gist of it all right? Oh and no, no one is going to be dying I promise you that I am not that cruel…yet. So yeah I hope y'all are ready for a fucking rollercoaster of emotions coming up cause I am not holding back muhahaha-*coughs violently* hehe sorry I have also been fighting off a persistent cough and it hasn't gone away also I won't go to a doctor because I am not comfortable in hospitals and docs in the states can be a bit of assholes to be honest.**

 **Haha anyways we are on** _ **Apprentice Part One**_ **and I can here you saying oh my god why don't you put both parts together? Well I felt like dragging it out and making you suffer in finally getting answers so Hahaha. I am an evil author I know, but you guys still love my story anyways and I am excited to see all of you continuing to read until the end. I have a stable job now at a gas station and am living with my folks again since me and my boyfriend split, but I am doing a lot better now feeling much stabilized and stuff like that. It's just everything happened so fast and it just got to my brain not to function I was…in a dark place to be honest with you all. My friends were able to get me out and the support from a random amount of readers to help get me back on my feet along with the coworkers for the station I work at to cheer me up to feeling better. So I am trying to get a better writing schedule and working around my parents as well to get chapters out to you all.**

 **Now this is an episode chapter which means I am looking through a transcript again and this time it actually was really legible! So doing this chapter was a literal breeze for me. I will be having Nightingale deal with Robin's obsession towards Slade and learning that she was being tested by her blood to see if she was hiding powers from them all (which she is trying to, but we know that and the titans don't) again we have that to deal with and how she will handle Robin not being there to lead the team. Haha alright I am done with my really short summary of this chapter and I really don't know how long this chapter will be this time hopefully not too long like…seriously I have been making so many long chapters it is killing my fingers lol.**

 **Any who onto our disclaimer yes?  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans and I never will so there is that. I only own Nightingale and her backstory that's about it lol. I also don't own the transcript either so please I really don't own that either.**

 **P.S. I really hope you guys don't mind if the chapters start getting longer and longer I really care about you all and please leave a review or PM me if you have questions.**

 **Have fun and enjoy reading it all!**

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 **Chapter Twelve: Apprentice Part One**

Nightingale gave off a low and heavy sigh watching the black dots rising into the air around her while she tried to sleep, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She reached her hand up in the air noticing the spots were appearing once again in the moonlight pouring through her window making another shaky breath escape from between her lips before she started to bit on the bottom one out of nervous habit before sitting up feeling her sheets rolling off her body exposing her to the cold air. She shivered at the sudden sensation wanting to throw her blankets over her shoulder, but that was too much effort at the moment rubbing her bare arms making her regret grabbing her tank top to sleep in. Her mind once again started to wander thinking back to when she stopped JD and his goons from spreading more Venom onto the streets…that was what a while ago right? She closed her eyes trying to remember, but she could hear her double whispering in her mind telling her not to hearing the eerie words that echoed on her mind at what she said towards him feeling another shutter travel through her body. When he threatened Raven with…she couldn't think about what he was planning on doing to her it was enough to make both her and it inside snap, but for what reason she really couldn't place it maybe because she had been in such a situation before…or was it something else?

Ever since that event her body had been going haywire around the cloaked heroine always hearing it constantly asking if there was anything wrong or if she was safe. On a few occasions while they were out on patrols or fighting with the team she usually would find the sudden urge to protect her and personally she was tired of fighting it constantly. She tried calling on it wanting answers finally, but continuously she would get silence knowing fully well that it was able to hear her in the first place. She closed her azure eyes for a moment actually wanting to recede into the darkest parts of her mind to try and see if she could at least get some kinda response though once again her mind hummed with silence which slightly disturbed her. Her heart thundered loudly in her chest while she waited patiently, but nothing came of it no snarky reply or a poorly timed remark entered her thoughts leaving her with the utter sensation of being alone and honestly it was a new feeling that she wasn't enjoying. She rubbed her already tired eyes feeling the lids becoming slightly heavy while her thoughts went back to when she last saw Raven after it all remembering the odd sensation that filled up her chest feeling that sudden sensation of warmth and longing only for her thoughts to freeze up. Raven had seen that night what she was capable of so why hadn't she told the others or Robin for that matter?

She let out a soft groan seeming to be riddled with anxiety before falling back on the bed hearing the springs underneath her squeak in protest of being landed on so harshly, but she didn't care at the moment while more thoughts of the cloaked heroine filled her mind her face feeling like it was on fire hearing a sudden cackling resonating in her mind before a mildly irritated tsk noise left her throat knowing that it was just fucking with her now. She pulled her blanket over her face trying to ignore the images flashing in her mind seeing the kiss repeatedly floating around making her wonder what it was trying to get at though she kinda hoped it wasn't going to continue its assault much longer feeling the heat leaving her cheeks. She soon found herself wondering if anyone else was having a rough night like her, but that was an easy question to answer with a certain boy wonder going through what seemed to be his own personal hell.

 _With the said cape crusader_

Robin felt his feet pounding against the flat earth while the world around him ignoring the rocky landscape that was surrounding him only focused on the person he was chasing. The familiar figure of Slade was weaving back and forth like he was trying to lose the caped crusader, but it was going to be hard shaking off someone who was on a mission. The stars above glimmered and shined along the landscape giving some form of light along with the large moon that hovered above the two of them, but Robin wasn't wanting to enjoy the scenery around him feeling pressure on both his upper and lower mouth gritting his teeth together wanting to catch up to the villain…to finally get the answers he was looking for. He watched the villain enter a clearing quickening his pace before jumping over a deep crevasse like it was a way to lose the boy that was chasing him, but if he really knew anything about Robin it was that he never just gives up. He quickly rushed after him throwing caution to the wind seeming to keep pace with the villain who was once again jumping across another crevasse rolling to a stop before heading for higher ground causing the boy wonder to have a slight grin on his face while he continued to follow. He soon found that they were heading towards a plateau that had a long winding path going up to the top, but both of them seemed to ignore it jumping after each other reaching the top where five pillars were in the center looming over the soon to be battlefield. Robin looked around trying to scan for where the villain might have gone only to see him step out from behind a rock across the way his teeth grinding against themselves while he tried to keep his composure.

"Dangerous behavior Robin you must be very eager to see me. I'm flattered." Slade spoke calmly seeming to be enjoying seeing the boy wonder in such a state, but Robin wasn't having it.

"I'm not here to see you. I'm here to stop you." Robin replied angrily his curled up fists shaking in anger knowing fully well what was going to be happening in a few seconds watching the grown man start to stroll closer to him before circling around him like he was a helpless animal…he wasn't going to play that game.

"Hmm…but how can you stop me when you don't even know what I am planning?" the masked villain seemed to be taunting him now making the anger inside him rising to its peak finally wanting to explode.

He hurled a savage kick towards the grown man before him only to watch him dodge it so easily like it was nothing throwing a punch towards him to once again miss only slamming into one of the pillars causing him to wince at the sudden ache that ran through his body if Nightingale could shake off something like this then he could too. The two soon began to throw punches towards each other, but it was fairly easy to tell that Slade wasn't even taking it seriously only to have Robin end up in a defensive position already breathing a bit heavily feeling some sweat travel down his brow going for a charging punch towards the orange and black villain. His tormentor just casually grabbed his hand hurling him at another pillar rebounding himself quickly trying for another punch, but that only destroys more of a rock tower ignoring the pain that was now becoming harder to ignore. The more he even tried to land a hit on the masked villain only started to affect the landscape around him knocking up more rocks and dust that was now floating around in the air while his attacker's eye briefly glowed form a moment before he started his own assault slamming hit after hit into the titan before him earning a few struggles for air through each punch landing a powerful kick causing the boy wonder to stagger back a bit seeming to be gravely injured from the attack. This however doesn't stop Robin seeing he is soon back on his feet rushing straight towards the villain still trying to put up at least a decent fight before getting a forceful punch to the stomach causing him to bowl over silently wonder how Nightingale could even take a hit like this and not flinch, but he hated himself for even thinking he was the same as her.

He gritted his teeth reaching for the pouches on his belt carrying his birdarangs grabbing one in each of his hands while he straightened himself out again hurling both of them towards their target only to watch him stand his ground holding his arms in front of himself on a crossed position while the sound of metal bouncing off metal filled the air watching both weapons imbed themselves into separate towers watching them all begin to topple at once creating more dust and rubble making the boy wonder cover his face trying to not inhale much of the air, but he couldn't help the coughs that escaped from his throat. He slowly starts to scan the area trying to guess where the masked villain could have gone, but he was having trouble even trying to keep his eyes open finally scanning to the right only for his eyes to open wide being slammed in the slide skidding across the ground scrambling to stay on his feet hearing the voice of the man he wanted to defeat so badly echoing amongst the dust.

"Excellent Robin…we appear to be evenly matched and equally ruthless don't you agree?" Robin tried to follow the voice hearing the metal boots crunching across a few smaller pebbles that had appeared on the battlefield after the towers had crumbled. He slowly started to ease his way around keeping himself alert as possible knowing that the villain could strike at any moment. "It's not surprising though you and I are very much alike." The dust around them finally cleared revealing the towering man was now behind him, but his words angered the younger fighter who whirled around to face him.

"I am nothing like you!" He yelled at him throwing a rage filled upper cut that connected with the metal covered jaw causing the villain to crash to the ground in a heap before Robin grabbed him by the collar of his costume glaring at him only to earn a smug look from the one visible feature on the villain's face seeing his eye sparkle with amusement. "You're a criminal, a psychopath! All you care about is destruction!"

"And all you care about you destroy." He could hear the smirk forming on the villain's face at his response watching him gesture off to the side towards the shattered debris next to them making the boy wonder tear his gaze away only for his eyes to slowly widen at the scene before him. The top of the towers lied broken holding the shapes of his teammates shattered to pieces even one capturing Nightingale's smiling face was nothing more than half of the figure left. "No! Who are you?!"

He reached for the masked man's face tearing it off quickly feeling the continuous amount of rage filling his body soon subsided to shock reacting to the face that was underneath. A copy of himself grinned up at him before it shuttered off a maniacal laughter that started to fill his head making him reach up to cover his ears while the landscape around him started to melt away into nothingness before a bright flash snapped him out of it.

Robin woke up in a sudden shock almost letting off a horrified yell before he took in the scenery around him noting that he had once again fallen asleep at his worktable while his heavy breaths started to echo in the empty room staring down at the papers that were scattered on the table revealing multiple files on Slade underneath recent test results that he had run on Nightingale seeming to screen a negative on showing any mutations to her genes making his thought process on her being a metahuman becoming slimmer…no the machines could be wrong so he would need to run another test and get more samples. His thought process was soon interrupted hearing his door open making him glance over to see Cyborg standing there with a solemn look on his face. Robin wasn't really prepared for the words that came out of his mouth, but it was like the dream was some sort of omen.

"It's him. It's Slade."

 _A few minutes later Ops room_

Nightingale found herself glaring at the man that was on the screen seeing the familiar black and orange mask adhered to their face while one grey eye stared back at the titans who had gathered in the ops room after getting a wakeup call from Slade. She had to quickly put her costume though she really felt like she should have just came in with her pajamas on, but she soon thought against it wanting to rub her sleepy eyes cursing a bit wishing she had at least gotten even a bit of sleep even if it wasn't the time to sulk about it. Her azure eyes scanned across the other members of the team watching Beast Boy wearing a terrible bed head making her want to laugh at his hair being strung up like that, but it was hard to fight back a small snicker that escaped from her mouth seeing a pair of violet eyes raise an eyebrow at her from across the room making her let out a small snort trying to contain herself biting her bottom lip holding back anymore disturbances. She glanced over at Robin her amusement disappearing watching their leader who seemed to be shaking…the sudden whisper from it caused her to shutter noticing his jaw seemed to be clenched making her very aware that he was enraged at the man on the screen. She looked back up at the screen noticing the man was somewhere possibly an industrial area which made her want to groan knowing it was going to be hard to find him in the city. She jumped a bit at the sudden sound of his voice through the speakers of the tower though she also could hear her double yelling at her to pay attention feeling the familiar cold hands on her shoulders wondering if it was just appearing to watch the show.

"Good morning Teen Titans I do hope I didn't wake you." His voice seemed to flow through the speakers giving off an eerie shiver that traveled up Nightingale's spine trying to ignore the last time she heard it so close to her ear spotting one of the black flecks in the air making her try to calm herself down for now. Slade's grey eye seemed to pan along from each member of the team though his eyes lingered a bit longer on Nightingale and Robin before moving on quickly to the others making another unsettling feeling come over her once more feeling her double leaning it's head against hers resting it on her shoulder now wondering if only the head was visible hoping none of the other team members glancing over at Raven knowing that she might have at least noticed the sudden chill in the air, but her thoughts were soon interrupted by Beast Boy speaking through his yawns.

"What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at five in the morning-." He was soon cut off by Raven elbowing him in the side to get him to keep quiet, but her eyes lingered for a moment over towards Nightingale's direction noticing that thing was attached to her like a leech. It was hard to see if any of the other titans even looked her way though it might look a bit of mist in their eyes, but her violet eyes made out the familiar shape of the thing that was in the girl's nightmares along with the figure she could see the night that they were fighting the group of people who were trying to get venom off of the JD person seeing flashes with every attack that she made. She noticed that the girl's azure eyes were glancing her way giving her a curious filled look while the thing turned its head towards her staring with the purple eyes that even rivaled her own giving a small smirk towards her before disappearing into the air leaving no remnant that it was even there. Raven was hesitant to even ask the masked girl what was going on remember that Robin was even running tests on her to prove what that she might actually have powers she might not like using or something else? She ignored her thoughts for the moment focusing on the villain before them knowing that there had to be a catch to why he even contacted the tower directly.

"What do you want?" Robin snapped impatiently towards the masked villain watching his eye show a bit of amusement towards his little amount of anger he had towards the man before them all. Nightingale held her arm in front of their leader making the masked hero look over at her wondering what she was trying to get at when he noticed he was about to jump at the screen making him try and actually calm down for a second.

"Well that is precisely what you've been trying to find out isn't it Robin? And in spite of all of the effort you're still in the dark about what my plans truly are." Nightingale was now even trying to hold back her own anger her left eye flashing purple for a moment making Slade give off a small grunt that sounded like a halfhearted chuckle before continuing. "Disappointing Robin I expected so much more from you."

Robin started to protest towards wanting his approval, but the villain continued his monologue though Nightingale was soon caught off guard watching the camera pan towards a covered up machine her uneasiness getting worse the more she stared at it wondering what this would all mean when he heard her utter the words that she never wanted to hear outside of a testing lab much less on a blueprint. "I am sure you are familiar with the concept of a chronoton detonator."

Her eyes widened watching two robot commandos pull off the tarp revealing the egg shaped machine covered in a black metallic shell before watching it extent revealing the circuitry underneath while red lights shone on the video making her rage appear more storming towards the screen hearing the others cry in shock towards the reveal, but Beast Boy was clueless on what the product could do though Starfire was able to explain with Raven dumbing it down for him revealing it could stop all time. The words left her mouth before she could even control it knowing where he could have gotten the blueprints for the machine, but this seemed like the perfect time to ask in her mind.

"Where the hell did you even get the blueprint for the detonator?!" She yelled at the masked villain ignoring her companions behind her only to see his attention was soon turned towards her wondering if he was smiling under that mask of his.

'Hm you wouldn't believe what the Blackwater Industries has in their files so it was easy to obtain since their chairwoman didn't approve of the idea for testing." Slade responded casually like he was used to giving such answers, but this angered her more not even caring if the specks were rolling off her body or if the others could see this meant she would have a word with the lab techs later on. He seemed to notice her anger and was somewhat enjoying it at the moment. "But then again I didn't really have to get my hands dirty when someone was able to get it easily for me with just the touch of a hand and a few deceiving words."

His words caught her off guard making her demeanor change drastically and the titans soon noticed it watching a hint of fear travel across her face before it disappeared completely Robin making the first move by placing his hand on her shoulder causing her to jump for a second at the sudden sensation of being touched snapping her out of the thoughts that had appeared in her head hoping Slade was just joking, but from what she could it wasn't a coincidence.

"Tell me where." Robin asked angrily towards Slade knowing that they had only such limited time to even look for the device now, but even getting an answer like that from this mysterious enigma was harder than trying to figure out what Nightingale was hiding.

"You're a clever boy Robin and I am sure you and your little…friends can figure it out." He seemed to be gloating at the moment holding the transmitter in clear view taunting each member of the team with it before he continued. "However since I control the detonation time is not on your side."

The screen went black when the video feed finally stopped though Nightingale was soon trying to calm her own nerves watching Robin lashing out in anger towards the keyboard letting out a frustrated sound, but knowing her she probably would have reacted the same way hell right now she wanted to get on the phone and have a word with the tech guys at Blackwater Industries, but that would have to wait until this mess was sorted out much less the underlying threat that seemed to be mixed into his words at the end of the feed which he was right they didn't have time for this.

"Fan out, find it and shut it down!" Robin yelled at them snapping her to attention watching him storm towards the door making her want to move to stop him, but the boys beat her to it already telling him that he should probably stay and coordinate the search. They were right to say this even she was thinking it walking up behind him reaching her hand towards him trying to show the same gesture he had given her earlier, but he shrugged her hand off turning on his heels to face her. "What do you agree with them as well?"

"Look Cy and Beast Boy have a point Robin ever since you're incident with Slade you've been a bit…obsessive towards it. You need to cool your heels while we try and find him." She commented calmly trying not to offend him, but that wasn't working watching his eyes narrow at her making her respond with an equally angered glare. The boys weren't making it any better watching Cyborg make a motion towards his temple saying that their leader had a slight screw loose, but he soon stopped seeing the steeled azure eyes had moved to give him a look that would even terrify a child into giving up their candy willingly.

"It might be better for the team if you sat this one out man." Cyborg commented making Robin tear his eyes away from the black-haired heroine for a moment towards the towering man, but he seemed to push past him ignoring their pleas making Nightingale rush forward and grab his wrist trying to hold him in place only for both of them to end up in the staring match they had seconds before.

"I'm not sitting this out there is too much at stake for me to-." he stopped himself when the sound of Starfire's worried voice entered the air making Nightingale pay attention letting go of his arm in the process turning her head towards the alien girl watching her body language that screamed she was truly worried for their leader…they all were. His obsession over Slade was starting to turn into a terrible habit, but Star worried more than the others and it was apparent that the alien girl showed some sort of feelings towards Robin that might possibly be recuperated, but right now wasn't the time to be thinking about that hearing it scold her to focus on the task at hand…it was hard hearing it in her head constantly anymore though it was impossible to even ignore it.

"We have not forgotten the last time you faced-."

"I made a mistake Starfire I promise it won't happen again…" Robin sounded solemn in his reply watching him glance over at Nightingale was enough to hint the azure eyed teen that he still found himself at fault for her injuries, but something else lingered on his face…guilt? Over what exactly? Before she could even analyze it further to even tell what he was guilty about he had turned away making her curiosity Raven's voice seemed to catch everyone's attention, but it was enough to make her think back to what it was showing her earlier in her mind making a burning sensation come across her cheeks slightly glad that her tan skin was able to cover it up mostly. She had brought a paused part of the video up showing where the device had been revealed to all of them creating a gridded pattern honing in on a certain part of the machine catching a small reflection. Nightingale gave off a small smile walking closer understanding what she was getting not noticing she was now standing to the right of the cloaked heroine hearing the others were moving closer as well.

"Slade gave us more information than he realized." Raven commented her monotone voice ringing in Nightingale's head watching the squiggly lines appearing on the screen zoomed in enough to where they would possibly get even more out of it if they just…Beast Boy made a quip trying to dishearten the violet haired girl, but she soon proved him wrong by flipping the image and clearing it up enough to readable with a few keystrokes. The words and numbers soon appeared revealing that the villain was hiding the device at a place called Pier 41 meaning there was really only on place they should look…the docks.

"Incredible…" Nightingale muttered lightly in awe making her blush and look away from the girl she had just complimented hoping she didn't hear her even though there were many instances where she had done the exact same thing in different situations. Of course her hope that Raven hadn't heard her was dashed with the empath trying her hardest not to let her emotions take control, but a light grey blush dusted her cheeks hearing a few of her emotions chirp at the sudden compliment though a few made a small estimate that it really wasn't towards her, but it didn't seem likely. Raven glanced over at the girl trying to focus just for a moment trying to quiet her clouded emotions trying to shake the thoughts from her mind feeling a cold brush against her back hearing a small amused chuckle fill her ears. She whipped her head around quickly not acknowledging that everyone was heading out towards the docks being more interested in the sudden disturbance making her emotions finally go silent trying to figure out where the laugh had come from. She didn't notice that Nightingale was reaching out for her to get her attention when the sudden cold sensation disappeared replaced with the warmth traveling through her body once more feeling it resonating from her wrist, but she wasn't the only one to notice the sensation with Nightingale quickly tearing her hand away confused at it before hearing a loud cackling from the back of her head…and so did Raven. Both girls looked at each other with slightly shocked faces before the black-haired girl shook it off following the others wanting to ignore what just had happened only to hear Raven's soft footsteps coming up right behind her fighting off a sigh that wanted to escape from her lips…this was going to possibly be a long day.

 _At the docks daybreak is starting to approach_

It didn't take long for them to arrive to the docks, but the sudden smell of fish drying in the air made Nightingale want to gag at the sudden odor that was filling her nostrils bringing up memories when she saw Killer Croc tearing apart a…she stopped herself from remembering instantly with the sound of blood dripping onto the concrete started to fill her head making the sudden ignore the smell all together with the sudden sensation of bile bubbling up at the back of her throat shaking the image of a mangled body from her thoughts. She looking up at the passing pier numbers noticing that they were getting closer towards the area though she tried to stay two steps behind taking in the area around her wondering how it could have gone unnoticed entering the area in the first place only to remember that they had it covered in a tarp meaning it would look like most of the crates used to carry the fish in the first place. She watched Robin rush ahead of the others looking like he was eager to take down Slade making her worry more about what might happen if they confront the villain in the building…she could feel herself frowning at the thoughts racing through her mind reaching for her batons trying to prepare herself for whatever was behind the doors watching Cyborg blast them open with everyone prepared to attack though it soon revealed that there was nothing there not even the remnants that someone had even been there.

She was taken aback for a moment casting her eyes back and forth towards the area around them stepping forward wondering how the villain could have moved that fast with such a heavy piece of equipment under his belt, but her hairs stood on the back of her neck hearing it scream at her to look up making her do so her azure eyes read full of shock towards the amount of robot commandos that were up in the rafters before more began to shuffle in surrounding the group and blocking the exit. A low and angry tsk noise escaped from Nightingale's throat mixing in with the low hum that was coming from the batons charging up waiting for Robin's signal, but from the looks of it this might be a tough fight.

"Titan's Go!" She heard Robin finally yell making her grin at the sudden chance to at least let off some steam on the robots watching everyone separate and drag away a few into smaller groups making her rush off to an area where the others hadn't occupied watching a small group of maybe seven or eight following after her giving her a decent cut of the robot crowd that had formed earlier. She smirked finally stopping turning on her heels ready to attack only to watch Robin bounce from group to group starting with Cyborg's enemies knocking them all away before the bionic man even a chance to charge up his cannon to fire at them. Soon he moved onto Starfire and it continued making Nightingale watch curiously forgetting about the ones that had surrounded her only to have one of the razored steel hand come close to her face only grazing her left cheek and clipping a few innocent strands of hair off her head before she moved away quickly frowning towards the robot before charging her batons again rushing forward ready to slam them into the robot to overload the system, but soon Robin appeared making her try to come to a halt in her movement crashing to her knees sliding across the concrete grimacing at the pain.

Her sudden momentum didn't stop making her slide right past the target robot was soon smashed away by Robin's staff before he moved onto her other supposed targets before she crashed against the metal siding that even counted for a wall in the warehouse wincing at the pain that reverberated through her right arm hitting against the metal ignoring it while she tried to stand on her own feet. She used the wall to help her with standing glancing over to the side to only have her eyes widen at the sudden carnage that Robin was causing seeing robot bodies and limbs flying through the air before glancing over at the titans seeing the shock and terror fill their eyes at the sudden ferocity he was showing, but she had seen it before biting her lip feeling the urge to tell him to stop though the words clung to the back of her throat. Finally she heard the other titans telling him to cut it out since they were victorious in a sense only having Starfire place her hands on him was finally enough to stop him from smashing the already torn to pieces robot underneath him, but she was very wary once he stood up hearing the venom and anger spitting out of his mouth.

"Slade's got his finger on the button and we've got nothing!" He shouted at the alien girl making Nightingale notice the girl flinched at the sudden animosity making her quickly move over and step between them making his sudden anger turn towards her making her silently think that maybe Cyborg was right that he had a screw loose on the subject matter. "Tell me does that sound like a victory to you."

He soon moved away from the girls with her noticing that all of the titans were giving him a worried look, but she caught Raven's eyes meeting hers sending a sudden shiver down her spine hearing another small echo of it trying to talk, but it was muffled for once making her curious at what it was trying to say making an educated guess that they should possibly go after him. A rough sigh escaped from her throat soon following after him hearing the others follow suit Cyborg saying something about trying to locate the detonator since they knew it was there previously it was just where it went off to that puzzled most of the members. Nightingale rubbed her eyes remembering she barely had any sleep and when the bickering started she gritted her teeth noticing the words were starting to echo in her mind making her wish that they would stop before a rolling headache traveled into her mind. She watched Raven stop for a moment wondering why she was staring at her when she could hear it…a sudden faint sound of a couple of voices that defiantly weren't what she was used to hearing before they started to shout making her reach up and cover her ears before they subsided only to disappear completely hearing a familiar voice enter her mind making her slightly startled even hearing it speak once more ringing clearly in her mind.

 _'Ignore your friends at the moment I think your leader is about to do something stupid.'_ It whispered in her head making her look over to hear Robin yelling at someone before the sound of shoes rushing away was enough to make her move into action listening to the voice for once following after the caped crusader watching him chase after a man in overalls more or less a man that worked on the docks most likely. She tried to reach out and grab him by the edge of his cape to try and stop him, but she missed by just a hair hearing the familiar sound of a birdarang hitting a wall seeming to imbed itself causing the dockhand to stop in his tracks before being slammed into the wall by the boy wonder holding an object in his hands. She squinted her eyes trying to see what it was noticing an "S" in the center making her guess he pulled it off one of the robots that he had smashed to bits hearing him ask if he knew where it came from only to hear the man stutter trying to explain something only to be slammed hard against the wall making Nightingale finally move in to try and stop him.

"Robin stop it! It's clear to see that this man doesn't know-?!" She had started to reach out towards him reaching for his free hand only to be pushed back by the masked crusader infuriating her at the behavior he was having. It was so toxic to even understand how he could have such malice in his voice when he demanded the man give him an answer pushing her to do it. She reached forward grabbing the collar of his costume pulling the young hero away from the man who was nearly about to piss himself slamming her forehead into his trying to get him to ignore dockhand and focus on her noticing that she had caused him to start bleeding from the center of his forehead making her wonder how hard she even hit him only for her thoughts to soon transfer to pain getting a swift punch to the face making her teeth grind together from the impact stumbling back covering her face while recovering. Before she knew it both of them were on the concrete ground having a small scuffle hearing the others already catching up seeing Nightingale trying to block another strike to the face before slamming her head into his midsection with rage filling her eyes flashing back and forth between purple and azure watching their glorious leader stumble back a second while they both got to their feet again wiping her mouth spotting specks of blood on her fingers casually spitting the red ichor onto the ground preparing herself for another attack, but while the two were racing towards each other Raven finally moved into action using her powers to restrain the both of them against the opposite walls when she heard a voice yelling in her head telling her to stop the fight before it got out of hand…it wasn't one of her emotions which puzzled her for a second glaring between the two hoping it would be something that could be solved later.

"Both of you stop it and get your act together!" She growled in her monotone voice her violet eyes going between the two while they struggled wanting to know what was going, but it was easy to get an answer with Nightingale being fired up like this.

"You tell that to him damn it! He almost was about to beat up a dockhand trying to get a damn answer! What was I supposed to do let him hurt the poor guy he was about to piss himself scared!" Nightingale responded back with the same angry tone feeling her blood boiling while it was telling her to calm down spotting one black speck escaping off into the air, but it seemed to be the only one so far from what she could tell feeling Raven loosen her grip before letting go completely giving her a chance to breath trying to calm down to the point she wasn't tearing up her vocal cords.

"You said you could handle this." Raven said towards their leader who was still pinned against the wall watching his team warily through his mask showing signs that he had calmed down finally making the empath finally let go of him. He turned away while Starfire tried to talk to him, but Beast Boy seemed to set him off with the words that came out of his mouth knowing it wasn't going to end well.

"Just cause we're trying to caught Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!"

Nightingale watched the boy wonder stop in his tracks making her move quickly between the two getting the brunt of his anger once more making her glare at him while he spoke…so he thinks that he might be acting like Slade huh? She could think of a certain mentor of theirs that he acted much more alike wanting to word her opinion the words left her mouth before she could even process it knowing it wasn't going to end well now.

"No you're acting just as bad as Batman you asshole!" She grabbed him once again by the collar of his costume hearing the others wanting to raise concern to what was going to happen, but she continued. "Look I don't give a damn about how obsessed you are at trying to figure out who the hell Slade is, but this isn't healthy none of it is! You'd rather risk every civilian's life over a damn villain's then you are just as bad as him!"

"Oh just like how unhealthy it was for you to be so focused on finding that JD guy! You don't have the right to lecture me Nightingale so I would appreciate it if you got off my case!" He shouted back the two seeming to show once again they were about to enter another fist fight, but the next words that came out of his mouth were enough to set her off even further. "If you just tell us what kinda powers you have then maybe I would be able to trust you more!"

Robin soon regretted the words that came out of his mouth watching her azure eyes change from the rage to utter shock at his words feeling her drop him back to the ground though he never noticed that she was actually holding him above the ground feeling his feet stumble for a moment only to watch her reaction. It changed from the shock to fear before going through an array of other emotions before seeing it change once more to a very neutral face, but Raven could hear something echoing her mind whispers of betrayal and worry soon started to enter her thoughts once again they weren't her own making her wonder where…she watched Nightingale slowly release and clench her hand finally understanding what was happening unsure about being able to hear her thoughts even if they were only whispers. After a small moment of silence filled the air the girl finally spoke up towards the leader the hurt was apparent in her voice.

"You…You've been running test on me? Oh god Robin how did you…" She stopped herself feeling her body suddenly want to become sick remembering the blood she had on her lips earlier. She gritted her teeth trying to get it to finally shut up hearing it tell her that he shouldn't be trusted that they should…she tried to ignore the hatred filled words rushing through her mind glaring down at the boy wonder betrayal soon filling her azure orbs making him look away though it gave her a understanding of why he even looked guilty earlier though that was for another time…right now the detonator was their focus. "Once we are done trying to find Slade we are going to talk about this and you are going to give me everything that you have tried to gather on what I am. Now if you don't mind I want to focus on trying to find a machine that could literally stop in its track and I would look forward to seeing my twilight years."

It was a sort of shock to the team that she wasn't going to rip into him further, but she had a point they had to find the detonator before it was too late. Raven watched the black-haired heroine's body language soon change holding her arms close to her chest trying to comfort herself at the sudden realization that the rest of the team must have knowing and didn't tell her. Once again the titans seemed to be puzzled on where to start, but the sound of someone reeving up a sneeze soon caught all of their attention though it was too late to move once Starfire let off a violet sneeze accompanied by starbolts shooting out of her nostrils was enough to try and make Nightingale move out of the way ignoring the thoughts that were passing through her mind. She sadly didn't move fast enough with the smell of hair catching on fire patting her head vigorously seeing she wasn't the only one who was hit hearing Raven give off a bless you towards the sniffling alien.

"Forgive me I am allergic to metallic chromium. There must be a source-." The alien girl was soon cut off again by another sneeze watching the others quickly rush away to hiding place, but Nightingale was slightly limited bracing herself once more being blasted back once more by a powerful starbolt sneeze feeling her boots dragging across the concrete for a moment the smell of burnt hair entered her nose once again making her carefully pat down the places on her head that was on fire making her wish that she had chosen to cut her hair. She heard the girl sniffle once more before apologizing, but all Nightingale could think about was what this had proposed to them with a large grin appearing on her face. The others soon came out of their hiding spots with Cyborg bringing his arm up opening his panel to give them an answer…they were going to have to use Starfire like a bloodhound. The black-haired heroine walked up to the alien girl patting her on the shoulder to earn another couple of sniffles from the orange haired alien knowing fully well it was going to be rough on her.

 _Later on down in the sewers_

Nightingale's foot slipped on something the disgusting sewer water that they had been traveling making a revolted shiver run up her spine while she quickly pulled her foot out of the unclean liquid trying to shake off whatever it was before giving up knowing she was going to have to burn these boots…maybe this costume as well since the smell would possibly linger on it. They had only been trudging down in the sewers for only what felt like it had been only a few minutes, but in reality they had been down there for almost a few hours staying on the trail that Starfire had followed hearing the girl let off another powerful sneeze up ahead of her only to hear a low groan escape from the alien girl's mouth knowing that she was already tired much less congested beyond belief. They continued to follow her, but she glanced back towards Robin who had been keeping his distance from all of them…especially towards her. She started to rub her arms out of worry before slugging forward once more feeling something rub up against her leg glancing down to see a rat swimming by causally causing he to stiffen a scream inside her body being that she was slightly terrified of the little creatures. Her mind was racing at the thought of seeing more of the rodents scurrying about in their own domain making her want to get out of there sooner, but she was once again caught off guard by Robin speaking up towards them all.

"Look guys…uh sorry about earlier." He started to say, but Nightingale was about to tell him to hold his apologizes until later only for Raven to beat her to the punch revealing that the detonator was now on a small speedboat a bit further down the tunnel in its compacted form spotting one of the commando's guarding the deadly machine spotting them as well. Robin's eyes narrowed before he let out the famous words that was so interesting to hear leave from his mouth when he was showing small signs of excitement. "Titan's Go!"

Nightingale rushed forwards ahead of the pack hearing Beast Boy let out a screech taking in that he had changed into a hawk, but the sudden distraction hearing the hum of an engine turn on making her look once again toward the boat fearing that they would lose it grabbing her grappling gun taking quick aim towards the back of the floatation device hoping it could possibly hit the right mark hearing it clatter against the floor of the boat while it sped off. A large grin appeared on her face turning towards the group to tell them that she got ahold of it only to see Robin was about to be grabbed by a large hand made of cement poking through a hole in the wall that wasn't there before. She was about to yell his name trying warn him, but a sudden tug from the grappling gun's rope was enough to signal her that something she really didn't want to happen was about to go down her azure eyes widening.

"Oh shi-?!" She was unable to finish her sentence before being dragged forcefully behind the boat a scream ripped from her throat making her hope that nothing could get worse than this feeling her boots drag along under the water making the other titans be drawn to what had happened between both of their leader and their other teammate not knowing what they should do only to hear Robin holding his own against the villain Cinderblock.

"Get the detonator go!" He ordered them to move hearing Nightingale's scream echoing through the sewer accompanied by a loud string of curses to enter the air making him wonder how she could even swear worse than a sailor, but right now he needed to worry about the cement headed enemy leaping from a few support columns that were around them moving to a new one each time the villain would swing at him. "It's only fair to warn you, you caught me on a bad day!"

That response form the rock monster was a few low growls before he started to charge once more only to have the titan half his size move along with him the sound of their feet pounding against the ground with Robin soon vaulting himself over the stone behemoth throwing a pair of bolas that begin to wrap around the monster restraining it for a moment giving him a chance to attack with a flying spin kick towards the beast making him wonder how the team was doing without him.

 _Meanwhile with said team_

"Motherfucker this was a terrible idea!" Nightingale screamed feeling her lungs wanting a break from her constant shouting, but it was the only way she was able to cope with the sudden momentum hoping that she wasn't going to puke feeling a sudden sensation of motion sickness fill her body or was that just the smell of the sewer finally getting to her. The speedboat zoomed ahead of her pulling her along like a puppet on a string with a few occasions she had to avoid slamming into a corner only to get clipped a few times making her wish that she had chosen a better option than being dragged by a speeding boat already feeling her arms ache at the sudden force they were being put through. She tore her gaze away from the vehicle spotting Starfire carrying Cyborg with a green hawk and Raven close behind her making a sudden sensation of peace cross her mind, but even that was interrupted by the sound of a computerized voice replying to something…did it say defensive mode? Her panic was soon justified watching two lasers on the back of the boat sending out a barrage of shots towards the group causing most of them to swerve to avoid getting hit, but it was a bit more difficult for the girl being dragged. She almost was blasted out of the water feeling a few droplets of sewer water hitting her face making a look of disgust appear on her face hoping this would be over soon hearing the sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon charging up. She tried to reach her finger up towards the button to reel herself closer towards the boat, but she was being limited in her movements knowing it was going to be hell even trying to get up to the boat while it was going fast.

She spotted another corner coming her way finally making her plan come into action getting ready to hurl herself towards it ready feeling her feet pumping against the water giving her an odd sensation of walking on it before hitting the concrete wall running across it finally getting a upper hand for once finally reaching for the reel button hoping that Robin was able to handle himself against Cinderblock.

 _Back towards out caped crusader_

Robin was now crouched close to the ground only to push himself pushing off giving the larger silhouette a roundhouse kick making them stagger back only to earn another kick before being crushed by a right hook to the face finally causing Cinderblock to be dazed while he finally touched down breathing heavily at the rush he was feeling during the whole fight. He finally hears a satisfying thud knowing the stone giant was incapacitated hearing it groan and mutter trying to at least seem conscious, but Robin was soon to ignore it by climbing onto his chest ready to finally get at least some answers on where Slade is located.

"Where is he?! Where is-?" His hardened voice faltered hearing the sudden sound of beeping filling his ears making him cautious for just a moment looking towards the source coming from Cinderblock's hand recognizing a sort of tracking device was sitting pretty just for him. Robin could hear Nightingale in his thoughts saying it might be a trap, but he was ignorant at the thought if it being true climbing off the large creature and going towards it picking up the device taking in that it was mapping out the whole sewer system with two dots flashing. The arrow had to be the signal that was being created by the device, but the other…a slow grin appeared on Robin's face knowing in his mind that this had become too easy watching the flashing "S" for a moment taking in that it was such a small distance away before his eager grin chanced to a cold one following the path that had been laid out for him ignoring the fact that he might need back up…but this was Slade and it was a long time coming.

Slade watched from his supposedly secure lair spotting the other Titans trying to stop the speed boat to get to the detonator each of his monitors showing a different angle noticing that Nightingale had just moved to running along the wall once more like she was beginning to work her plan out dodging a few more shots from the lasers making the masked man glance over to the side for a moment taking in sudden feeling that the girl had already went to enact her own plan though no matter she would have only messed everything up just to get close to the black-haired heroine, but then again he was unsure about the blonde haired psychopath ever since he got an anonymous message from her saying if he wanted information on Nightingale all he had to do was just say please. Now that he had his information which didn't appear to be much only knowing that she was connected to the Blackwater family and what she truly appeared to be had been enough for him. He soon looked back towards the scenes before him the sensation of his plan falling into place was enough to cause a small smile under his mask.

"Hurry young Titans…your time is running out." He commented coldly his calm and gruff voice seeming to echo through his lair, but he soon became aware that someone had been approaching not even flinching hearing the door on the catwalk above being blown away…right on time. Slade ignored the teen hearing him say that the Titans had gone into overtime if only he knew the truth, but that would come later the familiar sound of steel toed boots hitting the floor behind him was enough to make him finally speak once more. "Robin, welcome I was beginning to suspect that Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."

He holds the transmitter in the air turning around to face the titular titan that he had his eye on for a while now noticing the rage that was filling his features good…he was going to need it later on. He stepped forward slowly placing the device down on a lit area noticing that Robin seemed eager to take it, but the teen held his ground for now seeming to be waiting for the right moment giving him the notion to come and take it was enough to cause the rage to appear once more. Both seemed to be staring each other down waiting for the other to make the first move though Slade didn't have to wait for long seeing Robin baring his teeth towards him causing memories to appear in his mind when he fought Nightingale on the rooftop noticing the two showed similar behaviors, but he seemed to be a bit more volatile charging straight for him and taking a mighty leap into the air. The closer he came it was easy to see that he was moving in to throw a punch towards the masked villain letting out a rage filled cry that echoed through the room that passed by an unfazed Slade knowing this was going to be easier than he thought.

 _Back with our wonderful group_

Nightingale had continued to try and see if she could launch herself from the wall getting onto the boat, but continuing to dodge the volley of lasers heading towards them was enough to make her want to scream in frustration. She seemed to be ignoring the others behind her when her eyes flashed purple for a moment getting another chance to try and scale a wall to get her vantage point slamming into it after repeating her motions from earlier actually cracking the wall this time hearing the familiar hum of a charged cannon giving her an opening the so desperately needed. She waited until the lasers were shot out of commission before clicking in the reel in function on the grappling gun hearing the tiny engine inside whirl to life making a large grin appear on her face, but luck was not on her side feeling it sudden pull her forward making her fly a bit towards the front of the boat crashing onto the hood of the speedboat feeling a shot of agony travel through her back making a low groan escape from her mouth wishing this day was already over with when she heard the sound of glass being shattered and feeling a hard grip grabbing onto her exposed collar of her costume being pulled back before smashing the already unstable window of the boat being thrown onto the floor making her guess the commando was trying to throw her off ignoring her to make her confirm her theory that he possibly thought she was off the boat already. She shook off the remaining glass noticing a few piece had fallen from her hair feeling the robot throw the throttle forward making her stumble for a second, but she was able to regain her composure only to feel the motion sickness from earlier was starting to rear its ugly head once more feeling the bile bubbling up once more making her panic reaching up to cover her mouth hoping to hold it back a bit longer.

The sound of a loud thump came from behind her making her hope that there wasn't another one on the ship made her glance back towards the stern spotting a familiar figure of Cyborg taking in that he had just gotten on. He made a quick motion towards to commando signaling they were going to take him making her give him a quick nod before rushing forward giving themselves away only to watch the robot smash a few buttons hearing the sound of the automotive voice telling them that the autopilot had been engaged both grabbing onto the robot with Nightingale already tired of his shit helping the bionic man hurl the commando off the ship noticing the others were slowly catching up. She looks back to see the wheel is turning and tilting by itself making the automated voice from earlier an actuality watching the bionic man struggling to take the wheel himself only to tear it away causing sparks to fly. A panic feeling filled her mind making her move towards the keypad pushing the buttons in random sequences trying to help halt the vehicle not noticing that Starfire had landed on the boat hearing her voice for a moment only to hear the voice mock her by saying the code she tried to enter was invalid.

The boat soon began to swerve back and forth making her sickness once again appear making her finally give up sitting down on the wooden deck trying to calm her stomach praying for this hellish ride to stop. Cyborg and Starfire's screams filled her head making it harder to concentrate on feeling better being swallowed up by the urge to puke looking through watery eyes spotting Cyborg reaching over towards the keypad ripping it out from the panel watching sparks enter the air once more hearing the engine soon seize to a halt in a large open chamber making her take in a deep breath…only to get hit by the awful smell of the sewers assaulting her nose. She quickly scrambled to her feet bending over the side of the boat unable to fight the sensation filling her body retching what little contents she had in her stomach into the disgusting water below coughing and hacking once she was done already feeling worse than before she even threw up. She felt someone patting her back glancing up to see Starfire had come over to check if she was alright giving the alien girl a small nod before trying to wipe the remnants of her dinner from last night off her mouth. She felt the boat sway a bit signaling that the other titans had landed on the boat making her try and compose herself, but it was apparent that she didn't look well though it was soon going to be over and quite possibly she might be able to take a nice warm shower after all this.

"Please tell me that's not how you plan on stopping the detonator." Raven deadpanned pointing towards the control panel in Cyborg's hand only for the bionic man to sheepishly throw it onto the murky water. Nightingale looked over at her other team members showing that she wasn't the only one worried before seeing that Cyborg was moving towards the machine kneeling only to have it spring upwards just as he was about to touch it making him fall back in surprise. She slowly moved closer the machine looking towards the panel an unamused look appeared on her face knowing that they all might be a bit in over their heads on this hearing Raven say they need to hurry so Slade doesn't detonate the device. Her thoughts soon drew back to where Robin could be fearing the worse knowing she was going to have to scold the idiot later over, but right now they had a bomb to dismantle, but her mind still lingered on where the boy wonder could have gone.

 _With Robin and Slade_

The transmitter sat calmly in its spot like it hadn't been disturbed the whole time with Robin soon tumbling past it gritting his teeth when he slammed into the ground feeling the shock shutter through his body, but he soon shot back up rushing back to his feet noticing the device hadn't even move making him rush forward trying to grab it only to be slammed away by Slade once more with a flying kick to the side…this had been going on now for a few minutes, but Robin wasn't going to give up not now…too much was at stake. The two landed facing each other the latter already feeling the rage fueling his attack he wanted to perform hearing the enemy giving another sharp comment distracting the caped crusader, but this was enough to keep him from noticing another kick that was heading his way causing him to stumble back once more causing their fight to soon move away from the supposed prize each landing a blow on their own turns, but Robin again earned another steel boot across his chest pushing him back once more. The boy wonder let out a snarl of rage trying to clear his mind before charging forward once more the two swapping fists until Slade caught one his eye showing slight amusement.

"Good technique." He commented towards the boy wonder taking him aback for just a second only to feel his arm being bent back the sound of bones scraping against each other was enough to cause Robin to cry out in pain only to be thrown across the room. He skidded a few more feet away from where he was flung before slamming into a wall stopping him from moving any further struggling to get to his feet to at least try and fight back only to get a woozy feeling overcoming him the sound of steel boots walking closer to him echoed in his head and in the air. "Good, but not perfect."

Another bout of rage escaped from the masked hero's throat clearing his head of the woozy feeling charging across the floor towards this supposed tormentor. He launched himself into the air trying to get another hit in only to earn a steel glove to the stomach causing the hero to wince at the pain traveling through his body once more his stunned look seemed to amuse the masked villain who let out a low and cold chuckle with his vision starting to blur at the sudden change of events making him grind his teeth together hoping the others were doing much better than he was.

 _Back with the titans trying to diffuse a difficult situation_

Nightingale could taste the blood on her tongue while she was biting her bottom lip in anticipation watching the covered panel being removed slowly with each screw carefully being removed by Raven's telekinetic power before Cyborg calmly removed the panel showing the rotating core hearing him speak in a calm whisper about no sudden movements. He held the panel out towards Beast Boy who changed into an octopus taking it away from him before setting it gingerly towards the side her body already on edge on what was going to happen hoping they didn't screw up anywhere watching Cy carefully reach towards the machinery hearing Starfire ready to let out a starbolt sneeze making them all realize her allergy was now on high alert being so close to it. Nightingale panicked quickly moving over towards the girl reaching towards her face about ready to take the brunt of the hit only to notice Raven created a shield around the poor alien's head making her accept the fill force of the blast her hair being affected by it by blowing back behind her. The shield soon went down hearing the girl let off a small sniffle rubbing her nose apologizing before signaling the bionic man to continue in his endeavor with Nightingale helping her straighten her hair out watching from the corner of her eye. Cyborg held out his forearm revealing the panel from earlier watching the levels spike up now and again hearing him take a deep breath with the air suddenly filling with calm and silence once more noting a small diagram of the circuits was being displayed as well watching him extend a touch from his finger slowly moving it towards the cords severing one of them. The calm was soon replaced by panic hearing the device starting to beep while the core itself started to rotate quickly around and around signaling that maybe he might have just cut the wrong wire.

Nightingale swore under her breath trying to think of a way out of this or even a proper way of stopping the device, but her mind was coming up with blanks and barely thought out plans making her panic even worse. They might as well just try and cut the remaining wires to see where it gets them hearing it telling her that this was all going to be a waste if they didn't stop the machine now.

 _Getting a sudden sense of déjà vu so back to Robin and Slade_

Robin once again was being thrown around like a rag doll landing on his stomach staying down for a few second before pounding his fist against the ground in aguish knowing it was now becoming apparent he might not be a match for Slade feeling his mind fill with self-doubt before hearing the sound of steel footsteps once again approaching him making that self-deprecating feeling disappear knowing he wasn't going to give up not yet. He looked up towards the man that was towering over him trying to get back up once more only to hear the words coming out of the man's mask anger her into trying harder.

"I understand your frustration Robin. You hate losing just as much as I do." The calm voice was starting to become a real annoyance in his head feeling the sore spot he had about being compared to this psychopath once more getting poked and just a warning…never poke an angry bear my friends. "One of the many qualities we have in common."

He was getting so tired of hearing this out of everyone's mouth grinding his teeth together once more before jumping up slamming his fist into the man's chin lifting him clear off his feet. He throws a few concentrated punches towards Slade finally catching him off guard before he almost crashes to the floor, but he catches himself in time crouching to the floor before trying to run off. Robin wasn't even giving him an inch of a chance to escape throwing a string of savage blows towards the masked man dropping him finally to the ground. He rushed towards the transmitter picking it up off the ground finally satisfied by the chance to handle Slade on his own turning towards the masked man on the floor waving the device in his hand showing off his pride for winning…if only he knew.

"It's over Slade!" Robin yelled towards the villain proud of his conquest only to notice the device was now sparking in his hand making him take note that it was breaking apart in his grasp staring at it in total confusion before hearing Slade finally speak up.

"On the contrary Robin…this is only the beginning." He replied calmly strolling out of the darkness seeming to be unfazed by the confusion on the young man's face…his plan had gone accordingly hearing him ask about where the trigger was. "Trigger? There was no trigger because there was no detonator." The boy's eyes widened finally catching on that he had just been outplayed.

 _Back at it again with that fancy "detonator"_

Nightingale was starting to become impatient waiting for Cyborg to make his move again or was it just the sound of Beast Boy chattering his teeth in anticipation causing her to have a headache? She didn't know anymore wanting to chew on her own nails at the sudden anxiety that was coming over her knowing she didn't want to start that terrible habit once more. She watched from over the bionic man's shoulder waiting on baited breath hearing him whisper to all of them signaling he was about ready to do his final attempt.

"Moment of truth y'all everybody ready?" he whispered softly over the beeping noise that bounced off the hollow walls around them making Nightingale feel like she was slowly descending into madness the longer she had to hear it picking up Beast Boy saying he couldn't watch what was about to happen. Cyborg quickly dragged his torch across the cables taking in a sharp breath watching the red orb finally blink away revealing a metal ball in its place making her release a heavy sigh that she had been holding onto though hearing it come out of the other's mouths as well was enough to make her a bit more comfortable. She looked over towards Starfire patting her on the shoulder making it a silent thank you for being able to sniff out the device because of her allergy earning a small smile back, but this was short lived hearing the machine flare up once more making a few members gasp at the sound of it. Nightingale reached up and covered her ears trying to make the sound disappear, but it was even leaking through then making her watch the core start to spin coming alive once more. Red light soon started to travel across the wires that had not been cut earlier moving thought the machine making it glow and hum to life making her prepare for the worst bringing her arms up hoping that whoever found her time frozen body wouldn't laugh at the terrified face she was making. The device soon started to pulsate hearing the sound of the top part of the machine start to retract back into itself seeming to be the signal for the countdown to begin.

"We blew it! We'll be frozen forever!" Beast Boy cried out in a shrill panic making Nightingale slightly upset those might be the last words that echo in her mind before she was frozen only to hear the machine's alarm slowly drone off making her hesitant putting her arms back down to her sides.

She watched the device soon short out crumbling to a pile of junk before them making all of them look towards each other in confusion at the sudden change of events hearing Cyborg say that it wasn't a detonator at all…it was a fake. Her azure eyes widened hearing it scream saying it was a trap, but before she could even say anything to the others to move something rose up behind them hearing the sound of her comrades being hit by something and being thrown off the boat finally getting hit by a red beam of light pushing her off the boat making her fly in the air for a moment bracing herself for impact hitting the sewer water below taken aback by how cold it was taking in a small gasp of air feeling the disgusting liquid filling her throat. She struggled to try and get back up to the surface, but she was running low on what little oxygen she had in her lungs wanting to breath so badly feeling panic swallowing her up inside. It was screaming at her to stay calm and not to give up that help was needed, but she didn't think any of the titans saw where she was flung off to. Her azure eyes scanned the murky water once more before feeling something wrap around her waist a familiar warm sensation filling her before being pulled up to the surface gasping and coughing up what water was in her system feeling the panic the only thing left on her mind feeling the warmth around her waist move towards her shoulder's making her look towards he savior seeing Raven's violet hair soaked to the bone along with her cloak being in the same situation trying.

"Nightingale calm down. It's okay…you're okay." Raven spoke calmly and in a soft tone something she wasn't used to hearing finally having the buzz of panic disappear from her mind being replaced soon by curiosity over what was even shot at them spotting Beast Boy spitting the same water she had in her mouth out of his before he spoke.

"So aside from the nasty taste of sewer water in my mouth I think I'm okay." he commented his voice coming out odd noticing his tongue was out of his mouth. Cyborg checked his own diagnostic panel commenting that his system seemed fine making Nightingale take a look at what she could see of herself taking in that no damage had been taken making her give off a sigh of relief glancing over at Raven noticing she was thinking it too…was this just some sort of prank pulled by Slade or was there more to it?

 _Back to Slade's lair_

Five separate screens appeared before Slade watching his plan fully slip into action with each member of the titans names appearing next to a live video feet of their blood stream spotting small little devices attaching themselves to the cells marked with his symbol on them. The screens seemed to be watching their vital signs as well watching Nightingale's heart rate spike towards being sucked underwater, but it soon subsided with her blood moving slowly through the arteries casually her heartbeat however seemed to be a bit slower than her teammates, but Slade ignored it at the moment finally having his first option in his grasp glancing towards the somewhat defeated leader of the Titans.

"Nanoscopic probes. The chronoton detonator was merely bait for a much larger trap." Slade commented giving the boy an answer to what he was seeing on the screens. A small push button device extended from his wrist giving Robin a clear look at it making it clear that he was in control now his thumb posed like it was about to trigger it. "You see with a push of this button my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out."

"You can't control them! No matter what you threaten they will never obey you!" the boy wonder yelled back with confidence in his voice, but it soon wavered watching the villain pace around him like he was going to strike, but he only talked.

"This isn't about your friends Robin…it's about you. It has always been about you." He watched the boy be slightly taken aback by the sudden revelation before he continued. "Sending trouble your way, leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel I was testing you. I have been searching for an apprentice someone to follow in my footsteps…I have arrived at two candidates, but you are the one I truly wanted. The other one is just a backup and will continue to be that way. Congratulations."

"No way would I ever work for-." Robin was cut off watching the madman position his thumb back over the trigger making him fall silent giving the villain a signal the final sign to reveal that he had won this.

"If you join me, swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends ever again I will allow them to live," his voice changed from it usually calm demeanor to be encased with a sort of rage towards the boy before being put back to the usual level headedness that Robin was used to seeing, but he was muted in fear to reply back. "But…if you disobey the smallest request I will annihilate them and I will make you watch. So do we have a deal?"

The titan stayed silent staring down at the floor knowing he had little say in what he could even do looking up towards the masked man before him his gloved hands shaking while he curled them up into fist prepared to keep his friends safe for as long as possible until he could set them free.

 _With the remaining titans above ground_

"Robin?" Starfire spoke into her communicator trying for what seemed like the thirtieth try wanting to get ahold of their leader while Cyborg helped the rest of the team members out of the manhole they had found leading back to the surface with Nightingale leaning against the wall a cold shiver came up from her spine unsure of if it was caused by the lingering sewer water that was still clinging to her body or the sensation of not knowing where Robin was. They had been trying to get ahold of him right after they were able to get out of the water, but it seemed like their titular leader was MIA making her fear the worst. It pained her to hear Starfire's voice full of worry, but she was right he should have answered by now watching her turn towards Cy wanting answers. "Why does he not answer?"

"His locator has been deactivated as well. We have no way of finding him." Cyborg responded making the feeling in the pit of her stomach getting worse looking away from them towards the city around them wondering where the boy wonder could have gone to…his team needed him…she needed him back. It was weird to hear the thought cross her mind even though she was still angry at him for running test on her instead of asking…no they were still friends even after that. She gritted her teeth eyes glowing purple knowing fully well that she was willing to do whatever it took to get the boy wonder back safely with them.

Down below in Slade's lair Robin was trying to ignore the sound of his comm going off hearing Starfire's worried voice echoing through the air around him while he slid on the last piece of clothing that Slade gave him revealing black gloves that adorned his hands snapping a steel wrist guard on before moving onto the other articles. He snapped his new belt into place revealing a new suit being adorned on his body with one half being an orange while the other side was completely black matching his supposed new mentor's color scheme completing it was a neck piece that rested around the base of his neck. He removed his hand away from the neck piece revealing the "S" symbol emblazed on the orange side of the suit. He glanced over towards his abandoned costume feeling a dark unsettling feeling expel form his chest not wanting to think of what they titans would say seeing him in this state. He heard Slade walk up behind him placing his hands on his shoulders like a proud father towards his son making Robin's eyes narrow at the thought.

"I know it seems bad now, but trust me you'll learn to like it." He stated calmly letting go of the boy's shoulder's walking away to let him be for the time being, but soon he would enact his plan further with Robin's face staying a blank slate watching his new mentor walk away being swallowed by the darkness around him.

 _Meanwhile somewhere else in the city entirely_

JD stared up at the ceiling shaking his leg impatiently hating the thought that she would even keep him waiting wanting to be out of the itchy orange jumpsuit that the prison had given him. His eyes glowed in the darkness being swallowed up by his own thoughts before hearing his cell door opening making him bold up from his spot turning his head to tell the guard he wasn't in the mood to be taunted only for his annoyed look to change to a sly grin towards the person behind the pudgy man that had been sent to watch this block. The blonde girl's hair bobbed when she walked into the cell her hazel eyes glowing in the dark making him glance up towards the man seeing his eyes were glassed over meaning she was in control. He hopped up from his sitting position ready to hear her orders knowing he was going to follow her blindly after all he was crazy about her right? A grin appeared on her pale features watching the guard finally move out of the way making the dark room flood with light revealing her outfit had changed since the last time he had seen her.

The uniform she had been wearing was now replaced by a grey long sleeve top showing off every curve on the girl's body with specks of green shimmering off it wondering if she added that on after the fact moving down towards the pair of gymnastic leggings covering her legs that were black covered in random specks of gold before finishing the look off wearing a pair of flat shoes. Her presence seemed to be so intimidating, but then again many people were very underestimating of her in the first place JD bowing before her kissing her hand that she presented towards him with the grin on her face changing to a smirk. She soon started to turn on her heels walking out of the cell with him in tow along with the security guard following suit knowing they were going to need him later.

"Come JD we have so much to do and so little time." she spoke sweetly, but her words slowly started to drip with venom the more she spoke. "I want my toy back in my possession before that damn old man changes his mind wanting another apprentice."

"Yes mistress." He replied not chillingly hearing the guard also echo the same words that escaped from his own mouth hearing the girl giggle happily at the sudden words.

"Oh no please don't call me mistress anymore…its Siren now. Nightingale…no Celine isn't going to be prepared for this…and neither will her new 'friends'." She started to giggle wildly before it soon changed to a straight on cackle echoing through the prison finally happy to enact her plan of revenge.

 _With the titans_

"What do you mean you have no video of the incident?!" Nightingale shouted over the phone her hair dripping wet after her quick shower and a change of costume pacing along the roof of the tower waiting for the stuttering man to reply to her question, but all she earned was silence knowing she had gone over this conversation over and over again trying to get answers hoping her hunch from earlier today was wrong. It seemed like someone tampered with the video towards the locked up file room when someone broke into the facility, but even the guard on the floor didn't even remember seeing anyone come into the building making her fears worse…first Robin goes missing and now…she shook the thought from her head letting out a heavy sigh pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just…just send me an email of the incident report please and make sure all the chair members know about it. Have them handle the press and try to keep this under wrap until we can figure out what happened."

She hung up the phone leaning against the little concrete wall feeling the wind rustle through her hair trying to dry it a bit faster waiting to get at least some information off of where Robin had gone, but her mind was too clouded to even think at the moment holding her head in her hands…she yelled at him. God sure it was fucked up that he ran test on her blood finding the file in his room of every test applied to every sample, but she couldn't help feel remotely responsible for…she heard it speak outside her mind taking it in knowing that it was right.

' _You need to tell them what you are…I'm tired of being kept a secret and it's going to be worse if we don't tell.'_ It stated calmly leaning against the wall as well hearing the girl next to it give off a heavy and shaky sigh knowing that it was right though it was oddly her who usually voiced that opinion when it came to tell Misty and James it was easy…though with _**her**_ it was forced out of her against her will. The other members of her team in Gotham even knew, but why was it so hard to tell the Titans? She bit her lip trying to ignore the thoughts racing through her mind on why she wasn't, but the sound of the door to the roof opened revealing Raven standing there waiting signaling that they had possible areas where Robin could be, but the black-haired girl didn't move from her spot.

"Nightingale…?" The words left Raven's mouth before she could even stop it hearing the hint of worry encased in her voice, but she saw the girl perk up giving her a calm smile before leaving the position she was in strolling towards her calmly knowing that something was eating at her making her chest ache, but the cloaked heroine stopped her before she even entered the building doing something unexpected. She slowly wrapped her arms around the girl pulling her into a hug startling both of them for a moment, but soon she was enveloped by the smell of roses finding its way into her system and it was…intoxicating. Nightingale was taken aback for a moment until the smell of lavender mixed with the smell of her shampoo making her close her eyes trying to ignore how comforting it was with the warmth soon enveloping them both for a moment until violet eyes snapped open pulling away a light blush appearing on her grey cheeks seeing the familiar red enveloping Nightingale's cheeks as well making her glad she wasn't alone coughing to try and get her composure back sending a glare towards the girl. "Breath a word of what I just did and I swear I will dump Beast Boy's dirty clothes in your room."

She watched her walk off slightly confused at the sudden turn of events and the comfort that was shown towards her from the emotionless empath, but the smell of lavender was now lingering on her making her want to lift her collar up to smell it, but right now wasn't possibly the right time they had a boy wonder to look for.

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 **Oh my fucking god this took three damn days to work on holy shit it was a trip. I immensely enjoyed writing this chapter and once apprentice part two is over then y'all will be getting your answers I promise.**

 **Ooooh Raven gave Nightingale a hug…um I guess that isn't exciting and who is this Siren girl and how does she know Nightingale or even her actual name?! Haha again I am the only one who knows so you kiddies gotta wait until chapter fourteen for almost everything to be revealed.**

 **I knooow I seem evil, but trust me I am a huge as fucking softy according to a few people…they just don't know where I keep my bat in my car.**

 **Anyways Anri out see you guys next chapter!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**AAAAAAAHHHHHHH I'M GETTING SO CLOSE TO REVEALING SHIT TO YOU ALL! Uh…I mean hey guys it's me again with another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **and holy crap its** _ **Apprentice Part Two**_ **time so y'all know what that means! That's right you only have just this chapter until I reveal what Nightingale is so haha I am excited like seriously I am shaking while writing this Authors Note and seeing how you guys enjoyed the last two chapters I'm just so ready for the reveal and just getting into Nightingale's backstory and what her double is exactly is just a work of art to me. Sharing it with you guys is like having the cake and eating it you know? I'm just…god I feel like I am going to explode lol so let's just try to simmer down the rest of the time while I am doing this note.**

 **Any who I am just saying there is going to be a cliffhanger warning so haha…please don't get mad at me. It just gives me enough time to get the next chapter out at a reasonable time and to hear the last of the theories about her, but hey I only have a few actual ones from readers so seriously if you have a theory on what she is before the chapter is put up please don't hesitate to actually put it. Hell debate with others if you want to I just wanna know what you guys think she is before slowly dashing those hopes or corroborating that she is what you might think she is. Buuut if you just want to eagerly wait for the chapter to come out that is welcomed as well so please don't feel pressured alright? I just enjoy seeing all of you reading what I write and loving it so if you just want to see how everything goes then that is okay too! I hope you enjoy all that happens and continue to read until the story is over.**

 **Okay now we get to the fun stuff so please bear with me on it all the chapter is going to follow the episode once again, but there is going to be the fun parts where Nightingale is added to the mix just like every other one, but again we are soon stepping into her own personal mini saga since she is going to have three regular chapters before we slip into season two…that's right wonderful people you'll be getting a lot of juicy details in three chapters dedicated to our spectacular character I know it's just so exciting! Well I mean for you guys I gotta write them all so it's just going to be a pool of emotions and trigger warnings so just a kinda early thing here there will be a lot of them in the upcoming chapters.**

 **The transcript for this chapter was missing a few important scenes so I had to re-watch the episode itself to actually get the images in my head of what to write so please bear with me on all that happens because I am relying half on the transcript and the other half is being focused on re-watching the episode so haha it's just a fun process for me in general.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans never have and I never will. The only things I own are Nightingale and her backstory along with all the minor characters such as JD, Siren, Misty and James with a few more going to be introduced later on in the story as well. Also I don't own the songs either mentioned in this chapter along with the transcript so that is also something I don't happen to have control over well I mean the music chosen is controlled, but you get my drift. Um…hopefully.**

 **Haha anyways guys I really hope you enjoy the chapter please leave a review, PM me or heck ask a question on my Tumblr I don't bite!**

 **Welp on with the show my lovelies!**

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 **Chapter Thirteen: Apprentice Part Two**

The day had gone by without incident, but sunset was closing in making her curse loudly mid-jump towards the next building feeling her heel scraping against the edge of the building though she was too focused to even assess if her boot had scuffs on it now she needed to find him. It had been almost a whole day since they had seen or even heard from Robin and she was starting to soon become swallowed by worry though she was a bit glad that she wasn't the only one worried about their missing leader since everyone had been searching all over the city for him. She scanned from the top of the building knowing that she repeated this process for the last couple of hours ever since last night she barely even got any sleep unless Raven or Starfire told her to at least have a nap once in a while, but she just couldn't let them search for Robin on their own meaning on a few occasions she snuck out to help in the search like she was doing right now seeing if he would go to places that were like their old haunts from Gotham though those were slim in these parts…much less was there a underground boxing ring here as well so they were all clearly busts. She tore her eyes away from the sidewalk to the alleys that surrounded the building trying to at least see some evidence that Robin might have been here, but once again her search was bringing up nothing…it was starting to infuriate her. Nightingale gritted her teeth lightly trying to control her irrational habit of almost wanting to cause her own teeth to break not noticing the black flecks that started to float around her until she could almost see them forming around her making her take a very shaky breath dispelling them immediately her left eye glowing purple for just a second before changing back to the beautiful azure once more.

"Come on Celine…no Nightingale you can handle this. Robin is probably off somewhere possibly close and we are going to find him safe and sound." She muttered to herself feeling her legs start to move on their own while she paced back and forth on the roof her mind clouding with dark thoughts…what if he wasn't okay or quite possibly injured from his fight with Cinderblock or even worse?! She could hear her panicked breaths over taking her thoughts trying to block everything out, but they wouldn't stop making her feel worse for even thinking that reaching her hand up carefully biting at her thumb silently cursing to herself that she was withdrawing into a bad habit once more. "He will be just fine and when I see him again…I am going to kick his scrawny ass for making all of us worry like this."

' _Robin? Robin! Please Robin, where are you?_ ' Starfire's worried voice wavered over the speaker on her communicator making her swallow her thoughts away picking it up checking the frequency hearing it crackle for a second making her wonder where she was to cause the signal to do such a thing hearing Raven soon pipe up.

' _Starfire enough you've been calling four forty-five minutes._ ' the monotone voice came over making her remember that the cloaked heroine thought she was resting in her room. She shuttered at the thought knowing that once she scanned to see where everyone happened to be located at it would soon give her away. She heard the alien girl argue that she just wanted to try once more, but Beast Boy voiced an opinion that most of the team agreed it was becoming a headache hearing her voice echo on the mini machine hell on a few occasions it started her when she was in deep thought trying to figure out where he could have gone.

' _But why does he not respond? Where could he be?_ ' she could now hear the hint of panic entering the girl's voice making her bit down on her lip wanting to find her and comfort the girl into understanding that they would find him, but even that was starting to have limited affect anymore.

She heard Cyborg respond relaying the information he found from investigating the sewer noticing that Cinderblock and Robin went a few rounds, but it was hard to tell what happened or where either of them went making her bite down harder on her lip wincing tasting the familiar liquid on her tongue releasing her iron grip. Nightingale wanted to reply telling them that she hadn't found anything in the vicinities she had searched, but then again it was going to give her position away signaling to Raven that she was no longer in the tower though her panic proved to be right with the violet haired girl starting at an "N" on the screen where the others were farther in range hearing a low sigh escape from her mouth knowing that she should have checked on her once she almost forced her into her room to at least get some rest in her system before going out and helping the others search once more. Raven found herself thinking back to when she hugged her on the roof of the tower…it felt like ages ago, but in reality it had only been around midnight from the night before and the smell of roses hadn't left her senses even now it could be hinted at on her cloak when she moved even the slightest the scent seemed to explode in her face. A warm feeling traveled across her cheeks making her glad that she was the only titan in the tower at the moment hearing her emotions going haywire at the sudden thought of the black-haired heroine entering her mind once more trying to focus back on the search, but she started hearing a voice whispering in her head that she wanted to do more than just hug her…this new emotion was getting on her nerves and she never had seen it inside Nevermore, but it soon went away quickly hearing a small chuckle enter her thoughts remembering the thing that was attached to her comrade seemed to be there as well ignoring it was easy enough to say the least.

' _Nightingale what are you doing? You should be at the tower resting right now._ ' Raven responded her voice filled with a small hint of anger towards being disobeyed, but soon a low sigh replaced the emotion returning it back to the monotone sound they were all used to though the feeling that she was going to get scolded later was enough to send a shiver down her spine hearing it laugh inside her head. ' _Never mind I'm not going to argue with you. There is no sign of him on here meaning his locator is still offline. I've been monitoring all the frequencies, but he hasn't checked in._ '

Nightingale soon started to feel herself tune out of the conversation hearing Starfire say they were bad friends for just leaving him to fight Cinderblock alone, but a sinking sensation entered her mind knowing that if she hadn't hooked the speedboat in the first place she would have helped him fight off the villain even if he told her to stay back since he could handle the rock monster himself. She felt her teeth grind together anger and regret coursing through her body knowing she should have been helping him instead of worrying about the detonator that turned out to be a dud. The boys back at the lab even confirmed to her in the incident report that the device would have never worked in the first place since it was only just a design and since she didn't let it move onto the development stages it would be impossible for a machine to work in theory. She even reviewed the tapes from the break in noticing that a glitch happened at around the time before Slade called them making her wonder what could even cause that since her own company manufactured the cameras and surveillance systems in every building making her guess that there was a possibility that they systems could have gotten hacked…she shook her head at the thought. They were up there with Wayne Tech so it was almost impossible for a single person let alone a team of hackers to get a crack at the firewalls that were built on the system she stopped herself feeling the taste of blood on her tongue once more seeing she had begun to chew on her thumb while trying to figure out what was happening, but soon she reached up covering her ears at the sudden screech coming from the speaker on the communicator hearing Cyborg's voice echoing in her head for a moment.

' _I shoulda known that thing was a fake!_ ' Cyborg commented angrily making Nightingale pick up the comm to finally put in her two cents on the situation at hand.

"Cyborg it's not your fault trust me. I couldn't even tell it was a fake, but from what I've been reading up it's hard for a chronoton detonator to even get past being drawn up on paper…we were all fooled." She replied back seeing her hand gripping the yellow speaking device with her arm shaking sending back specks into the air once more, but this time she had a reason to let them flow being that she was angry at herself for not noticing sooner. She could hear it echo in her mind once more telling her to calm down and take deep breaths…it was right she did need to do that being slightly glad it wasn't trying to be antagonistic at the moment.

' _But why? Why did Slade wish to separate us from Robin?_ ' Starfire's concerned voice filled her ears making her hesitant to reply knowing that there wasn't an answer she could come up with for why and much less creating a motive on the spot wasn't her forte. She spaced out for just a second, but it was enough for the alarm on the communicator to go off saying there was trouble…and it was extremely close to her location. She started to rush forwards, but soon was halted by Raven's voice over the comm making her stop in her tracks.

' _Nightingale wait until Starfire can get near the location as well I can't have you going in alone. We don't know what we are dealing with._ ' Raven spoke…was there a hint of concern in her voice? Nightingale felt a small smile appearing on her face, but it replaced itself quickly revealing a determined smirk.

"I'll be alright Raven I promise. You guys get here as fast as you can and I will see about slowing down whatever it is that's attacking the building. You have my word I will come out of there without a scratch." Nightingale replied confidently knowing this was probably a simple break-in she started to move forward once more, but the words she heard leave the device made her stop in her tracks feeling her heart skip a beat for just a moment.

' _I…I believe you. Please stay safe._ ' The cloaked heroine mumbled lightly making her want to reply back, but right now somebody needed help in the city though the warmth that was generating from her chest was enough to make her move forward once more pulling out her grappling gun aiming it towards a higher building wanting to get a better vantage point of the building she could already see overhead. She slowly scaled up sending a small wave to a man watching her spilling his coffee onto his dress shirt reaching the top in a matter of minutes. The wind whipped around her for a moment feeling her body adjust to the height she had obtained even her ears began to pop loudly only causing her to take it all in if only for a second. She closed her eyes ignoring the fact that she should be getting to the location marked on the tracker, but being preoccupied by the sudden sensation of…she quickly snapped out of it.

The wind brushed her hair in front of her face hearing a loud boom echoing in the air making her take in that the building she was supposed to of been at now was smoking…great. She readied herself to jump aiming her grappling gun once more feeling her feet move underneath her at an inhuman speed glad that none of the titans were seeing this happen when she felt just air surrounding her the sudden sensation of something wanting to release from her was soon ignored aiming for one of the ledges to the outside hearing shots already being fired off towards the thief making her snort lightly pulling herself up once more and jumping onto the landing watching the guards moving forwards, but she wasn't the only one who landed hearing boots clatter against the walkway behind her.

Nightingale turned quickly spotting the thief running away from her just possibly a few feet ahead…she could easily catch up, but something was screaming at her that something was wrong here though she soon ignored it rushing after the perpetrator hoping the gut feeling would soon go away. She spotted the other members of the team closing in up ahead and the sound of loud clanking footsteps behind her meant that they were already here meaning this was going to be much easier than she thought. The thief was still shadowed by the darkness when Starfire and Beast Boy appeared in their path causing them to halt for a moment like they were taken aback to see them there though it was there for only a second before the thief sprinted off down a walkway making her turn on her heels quickly to give chase pulling out her staff getting herself prepped and ready to fight watching them stop for a moment nearing the dead end that lead to a long way down to the streets below.

The wind bellowed around her once more watching the clouds move out of the way for the moon to shine through illuminating the area around them hearing the others who were on foot finally caught up with her, but the sight of the person being caught in the moonlight was enough to cause her to stop in her tracks feeling a sharp inhale at the sudden feeling from earlier taking over her body sensing the word slipping out of her mouth.

"Robin…" her voice came out a low whisper with a shutter and shake wanting to wish that the person before her would change if she just blinked her eyes, but even when she did his image was still there and he was cladded in Slade's colors. He looked prepared to attack, but soon the rage overflowed her system hearing it shout in her mind making everything soon become swallowed up in red seeing him throw a device towards Starfire who was about to question him why watching it explode in the girl's face. She snarled loudly taking a few members by surprise watching her burst forward quickly seeing her move like a blur of black and white her voice booming loudly above their own hearing something almost…not human in her voice. " **YOU TRAITOR!** "

Robin watched her move closer hearing Slade finally speak up in his ear gritting his teeth at her words for a moment feeling the sinking sensation reverberating in his body knowing that she was betrayed not wanting to remember things at the moment feeling images flooding into his mind. Slade once again brought his attention back towards the matters at hand knowing that he was going to have to use it eventually seeing the others were moving in as well. He held out his new weapon the thermal blaster that he had just stolen towards the walkway not wanting to harm any of them blasting it away in a large explosion hearing Beast Boy shout in surprise and hearing Starfire yell Nightingale's name making him hope silently in his mind that he didn't hurt her not seeing her on the other side of the gaping part watching flames roll around the edges of each separate part. The team looked into the air seeing the girl had jumped barely missing the shot that was aimed at the ground her body being shadowed by the moon. Robin looked up for a second spotting her silhouette outside the cloud of dust that had formed around him though in a flash she had slammed herself before him raising a fist towards him making a guess that she used her staff to launch herself up into the air to avoid the attack.

He moved immaculately fast grabbing her hand and pulling her forward spotting her azure eyes now glowing purple with black spots starting to appear in the whites of them making him shutter, but he had to act quickly to be able to escape her wrath. He reeled his head back before slamming it into her forehead possibly getting the chance to escape then…well that was the plan anyways until he heard the sound of something snapping in the air before hearing a guttural scream escape from her throat watching her stumbling back holding her face making him realize that he aimed a bit lower than expected breaking the nose. Robin took this for a chance to escape finally rushing away while the dust started to settle revealing Nightingale hunched over holding her face signaling that he was right about his assumption. The other members of the team watched her for a moment seeing her remove her hands from their position watching the blood dribble down her chin seeming to drench her upper lip before dripping onto the floor of the walkway, but they were more taken aback by the fact she seemed unphased by it searching around for Robin taking in that he was gone. They saw her face change through an array of emotions, but Raven had reached her hands up to her ears trying to block out the thoughts that were expelling into her own mind from the black-haired team member, but it was easier said than done. She shut her violet eyes trying to ignore them gritting her teeth in the process only to have them seem louder than her own emotions.

' _ **HE BETRAYED US!**_ '

' _No it's not possible he couldn't be…stop it no he still the same person._ '

' _ **The evidence was right in front of you kid stop ignoring it and face the fact that your supposed friend has become something worse than us!**_ '

' _Shut up! You and I don't know that just shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!_ '

Raven soon had enough of hearing the argument that was becoming collected in her head floating over to the girl who had now just started pacing back and forth between the walkway the look of fury was worn underneath the blood that had slowly started to lessen from her nose making her spot that it was slightly crooked a bit though that was a bit of an easy fix. She reached forward stopping her by grabbing onto her wrist noticing the black wisps entering the air being this close to her with the mixture of the metallic smell of her blood and the small hint of roses still lingering on her person was enough to spark the emotions in her mind, but she tuned them out quickly not wanting another headache to appear on top of the one she already had. She noticed the girl had stopped in her tracks finally turning towards the cloaked girl…wait was she always this tall? Raven looked up at the black-haired heroine seeing the purple irises and black bleeding through the white parts though even that seemed to be slowly fading watching her form shutter for a moment making the violet eyed girl blink for a moment noticing that she was possibly imaging that she was taller seeing that she only appeared to be an inch or two above her. The hue in her eyes changed back to the brilliant azure that she was used to…wait brilliant? Raven was taken aback for a second at the thought, but she soon ignored it watching her eyes fill with two very prominent emotions…anger and doubt spotting tears starting to well up making her heart suddenly ache for a moment just a second fluttering with the emotion once more before ceasing.

She reached up carefully taking Nightingale's nose into her hand feeling it become slightly soaked by her blood, but she ignored it quickly snapping it back into place making her pull away from her hand covering it once more trying to ignore the sudden pain and agony that was filling her thoughts, but they soon subsided making her look away from the black-haired heroine slightly relieved that her thoughts weren't pouring into her mind though now they had something else to worry about…why was their leader aligned with Slade?

 _Meanwhile with our ex-boy wonder for the moment_

Robin held the blaster in his hand almost glaring at it before letting a small sigh escape from his lips the emotion on his face soon changed to regret and defeat though he hoped Nightingale wasn't truly injured from him smashing his forehead against her nose. He had been staring at this thing ever since he had returned and it was starting to become a sort of heavy burden on his mind seeing flashes of all their faces reading shock and betrayal, but the rage he felt emanating off of Nightingale was enough to make him understand that they possibly think that he was a traitor now hell she even screamed it at him when she went to rush him for a takedown. Though he seemed more shaken remembering her eyes seeing them so close almost made him actually feel a sudden urgency to surrender at that moment, but if he had…he closed his eyes wincing for a moment knowing it wasn't right to think about Slade using it on them as long as he obeyed they wouldn't come to harm right? His thoughts were soon withdrawn hearing the unsettling voice of his supposed mentor echoing around him making his eyes narrow.

"Excellent Robin I am pleased. You're already proving to be the perfect apprentice." He spoke calmly though there were hints of pride resonating from his voice making Robin shutter at the thought of this man being proud of him.

"This deal won't last forever, Slade." Robin replied a snarl entangled in his words making the malice he felt towards this villain extremely apparent, but it wasn't enough to seem like a threat to him.

"It can and it will." The sound of the coldness mixing in with his voice was enough to cause a small shutter in the boy wonder, but his attention was torn away from the blaster in his hands to the monitors behind him hearing the sound of them booting up remaining white for only a moment switching to static only to finally show a picture of the decoy watching it crumble before his team. Images started to flash on the monitors revealing what had happened to the titans seeing them get blasted by the beams noticing nothing was wrong with them…sadly that wasn't true revealing the probes that were inside their bodies being the last images placed onto the screen still monitoring their vitals only to blink back to white. "The Titans still have no idea that my chronoton detonator was more than a decoy, but now that my probes are inside their bodies they could remain undetected for years-decades."

Slade stepped into view from the darkness making Robin glare once more holding his hand up to show that the trigger was still there to set the probes onto his friends making his message clear…if he messed up or disobeyed the titans would take the fall and possibly die. The frown didn't leave the boy wonder's face making the villain glare at him for a moment hovering his thumb near the button to show he really meant it, but he soon started to notice that the message had gone through.

"Sooner or later you'll let your guard down. I will get that controller and the instant they are out of danger you will pay." Robin challenged knowing it would possibly go unphased towards the man before him watching him step closer to him the two being illuminated by the white screens behind them letting the air fill with silence for just a moment.

"That sounds like a threat young man, quite a good one actually. Betrayal, destruction, and revenge we really do think alike." Slade casually took the blaster from Robin's hands, but his comments made the rage bubbling inside him reach it's boiling point gritting his teeth into a small snarl before charging at the man in front of him ready to strike, but it was going to go bad the instant he took a step forwards towards seeing Slade quickly grab his wrist twisting his arm bending it back sharply. His bones screamed and ached at the sudden pressure that had been forced onto them, but he held back a cry that wanted to escape from his mouth hearing Nightingale's words echo in his mind once more trying to ignore the pain sensors going off in his mind his thoughts remaining on his team wanting to get back to them safely. "I monitored your vital signs during the mission. An elevated heart rate, adrenaline and endorphins especially when you smashed your forehead against that black-haired beast's nose. You won't admit it, but to some level-." The black and orange mask leaned closer to his face while he continued to cover up the steady flow of agony coursing through his body. "You enjoyed stealing for me. It was a thrill wasn't it?"

He felt the pressure soon release being pushed away for a moment rubbing his previously under pressure arm testing to see if anything was broken glancing back towards Slade seeing him removing parts of the blaster taking the muzzle off revealing a cone underneath for better concentrated fire. Rest of Slade's words fade into his mind only made parts of him shuttering at the thought of running into Nightingale hearing a familiar set of words pop into his mind making a small smile appear on his face for just a moment focusing on them to hear them a bit better, but the sudden feeling of something clasping onto his wrist was enough to change his train of thought towards the person before him hearing words uttered to him that made him sick.

"Who knows? I might even become like a father to you." Slade commented walking past him once he had secured the blaster to his wrist the boy wonder looking down at the piece of hardware on him feeling the weight of it and what might happen wanting to shatter him. He waited until the man was out of earshot to even reply to his comment.

"I already have a father." He spoke softly closing his eyes for a moment hearing the sounds of gears clinking loudly above him, but the sudden alert cry of bats being startled was enough to make him wish he was back in the bat cave. He silently wondered what the team was doing right now and how they were all handling everything that had happened and hoping Nightingale wasn't silently plotting his murder.

 _At the Tower with the Titans_

Music blared in Nightingale's left ear out of one of her earphones while the other swayed in the air while she tapped her foot impatiently on the floor hearing Beast Boy's theories on if that was really Robin or not that they faced with her bloodied costume top thrown into the washer replaced with a much cleaner one along with the blood being washed off her face. She took in small breath still getting hints of a metallic scent mixing in with her rose body wash making her wonder if she should at least try to take a shower, but she was too preoccupied to even care at the moment. She glanced over at the song that was playing on her device slightly glad that she had most of her music saved onto it since she couldn't find her phone charger since the said device was charging from the game station that was propped up on the table near the computer knowing that they boys must have taken it to charge one of their controllers hearing the song change to _Dance With The Devil_ by _Breaking Benjamin_ slowly drumming into her ear keeping her preoccupied wondering if this song was playing for a reason her thoughts running rampant about Robin…is there a possibility he was always working for Slade? She shook that thought away quickly knowing it wasn't a hard theory since he hated the man with a damn passion to the point he would be moved to murder if it ever stepped over that boundary, but he would never be pushed to that edge. She continued to ignore Beast Boy's rant trying to come up with her own theory on why he was pushed to be in such a position feeling her mind slowly slipping into a memory closing her eyes soon being enveloped by the warmth of it knowing that he wouldn't be under Slade's control for long.

She was too distracted by the thought she didn't notice that the green imp had stormed over to her wanting her to hear his outlandish theories yanking out the plug on her headphone disrupting the song that had been playing in her ear not even noticing it had changed once again. Everyone paused for a moment taking in the song that was playing with a few members raising an eyebrow towards her the sound of _Cinderella_ by _Sweetbox_ echoing through the ops room for a moment watching the black-haired heroine's face turning beet red out of embarrassment while she tried to pause the song cursing under her breath for a moment finally being able to stop it from playing letting out a small sigh of relief seeing the red drain from her face. She glance over at Beast Boy giving him a slightly daggered look before she cleared her throat composing herself a bit more, but the red still dusted her cheeks.

"What do you want Beast Boy I was thinking." She responded trying to hold back a small stutter of her impending embarrassment she was going to get from the little green imp that was going to rip into her for her choice of music, but it seemed like he was going to wait to do that.

"Uh…oh right I was going to ask you if you had a theory on if that was Robin. My bet is on a robot or mind controlled zombie." He commented cheekily not wanting to use up the opportunity he was given with her choice of music, but that would be used for ammunition for later. "Sooo what do you think it is, dude?"

"As logical as that sounds if anything was controlling his mind I would have sensed it." Raven piped up making both of them look towards her though Nightingale seemed to be averting her eyes making her feel a bit uncomfortable not having her eyes…no stop. She closed her eyes for a second wanting to make those thoughts go away just wanting to meditate though with Robin still in Slade's clutches that wasn't going to be possible.

"And my scanners confirmed his biometrics that was the real Robin…our Robin." Cyborg added both of them seeming to hang their heads low hating to be the bearers of bad news.

"I have to agree with them Beast Boy…that was Robin's thick head that slammed into my nose there is no denying that." Nightingale finally replied wanting to reach up and feel her nose hoping Raven set it properly, but even if she didn't there was a way to fix it without breaking it once more. Though she was soon taken aback by Starfire's outburst making her jump slightly at the sound of her raised voice…she never did that.

"That was not Robin! Your scanners are wrong! Robin is our friend and nothing could ever make him betray us!" she yelled at them with the black haired heroine wincing at every word not used to this side of Starfire, but watching her body movements she was having a hard time trying to accept that maybe they were right. Her voice wavered with sadness holding her arms close to her chest was more of a tip, but Nightingale couldn't really help comfort her since she was on the side with the others…that was Robin there was no denying it.

"Look Starfire I know it's hard to believe it, but that was Robin up there with us. Hell I took a damn hit to the face…you need to face the facts." Nightingale spoke without really thinking wanting to eat her own words seeing the green eyed alien look towards her full of hurt making her look away feeling regret fully sink in.

"Speaking of facing the facts…" Beast Boy quizzically imposed looking towards Nightingale pointing a gloved finger at her accusingly. "What is your deal man? The creepy eyes, weird shows of super strength and speed, your voice changing like what is up with that dude?"

The titans noticed her stance stiffen for a moment reaching for her right arm like it was a force of habit covering near her wrist before noticing what she was doing pulling her hand away. They continued to watch her knowing that she looked like she was having trouble trying to actually say what she wanted to say seeing her take a shaky breath visibly pained by being asked those questions. She could hear it speaking to her telling her it wasn't the right time to tell them, but to at least make a deal after they found Robin she would…no they would tell them everything. Her azure eyes steeled over for a moment her stance changing to a more confident approach seeing her take in another quick breath before speaking.

"Look it's not something I am usually comfortable talking about. I…if we can get Robin back then I will tell you guys everything…just not now." Her voice sounded soft coming out of her mouth taking the titans by surprise, but Raven glanced over towards her seeing that she was genuine about telling them everything though there was a huge chance that Robin might never be coming back making them empath sigh catching everyone's attention.

"No matter what the reason, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true Robin is a criminal now and just like any other criminal-." She commented dryly hating the words that were leaving her mouth yes they were true, but she couldn't find it in herself to finish the sentence.

"The Teen Titans have to bring him down." Cyborg finished it for her with the two at odds members of the team wearing very different expressions on their faces. Starfire seemed to be stiffening a sob that wanted to escape from her throat her hands clasped to her heart while Nightingale wore a grim expression knowing fully well what they had to do…what would Batman think of this if he even caught wind of it? They all didn't really have to wait long hearing the alarm soon making Beast Boy rush to the computer to see who it was, but it was apparent to see watching him turn back towards the others uttering the two words none of them really wanted to confirm.

"It's him."

 _Minutes later with that boy wonder once more_

Robin had been creeping around the building silently wishing that Slade had sent him to a different facility, but it seemed like fate to be here. He quickly snuck past security hacking his way towards the place he needed to be placing blast discs onto the doors waiting for them to blow away knowing it was going to give away his position meaning he had little time. They soon crashed inward creating dust at his feet while he walked in slowly to assess if there was any extra security, but all he could see was that the walls were black with green control panels imbedded in it. He carefully traversed from the doorway glancing down at the doors he had blasted spotting a "W" split in half before his feet shaking the thoughts that were appearing in his mind…if he saw him like this what would he say? He ignored those things just wanting to focus on getting the item Slade needed and quite possibly the chance to turn it against him. A small grin appeared on his face reaching towards the item hoping that would be a huge proposition, but he needed to do it…he wanted to free his friends from the snake's clutches. He was too preoccupied to notice that the titans had entered the room Nightingale being the one to lead the pack having her batons already drawn seeing him reaching for the item hovering in its containment, but the building they were in…She gritted her teeth ignoring those thoughts bringing her left hand up hurling it towards his hand seeing him visibly pained by the metal slamming against his hand was payback for breaking her nose.

"Hey boy blunder over here!" she shouted towards him watching him turn his head towards her with his body frozen in place spotting the thermal blaster he had stolen not too long ago. Cyborg shouted over her saying that Robin wasn't going to be walking out of here, but she kinda wished he held his tongue on that one. He wasn't going to be leaving this room without a fight watching him charge towards them with a yell that didn't really intimidate her making her rush forward ahead of the pack wanting to be the first to have a strike on him only to feel his boot push her head down making her quickly bite her tongue while a low hiss of anger escaped from her throat. She turned on her heels so fast she caused dust to expel into the air while her foot seemed to leave a small dent in the floor watching the former boy wonder escaping through a panel a low snarl escaping from her lips rushing forward picking up her baton she had thrown earlier bring out the prongs. "Cyborg give me a boost pronto!"

The bionic man quickly moved to have his hands cupping them together waiting for her foot to plant itself safely there before boosting her into the air watching her use the batons to grab onto the edge of the opening before climbing up after Robin making them all wonder if there happened to be a small vendetta towards him for breaking her nose or…was she trying to catch him before it was too late. She had known Robin longer than any of them so there happened to be a big possibility that she was trying to get him to come back. The others were soon hot on the twos trail hoping to at least be able to help Nightingale if she got stuck in a pinch though they were wondering if it was going to be too late. With her however she only slipped a few times catching herself with the prongs trying to not discharge them into the building not really wanting to deal with the possibility of explaining the damage to…she shook those thoughts from her mind for now knowing she was going to be thinking about it later hearing Robin popping up a panel revealing that she was close to the top making her climb faster. She pulled herself up from the opening starting at the Wayne sign glowing brightly next to her making her squint at the sudden brightness, but she soon found her focus spotting Robin running away from the scene…was he talking to someone? She started to rush after him taking him by surprise tackling him to the ground catching the last part of the conversation…so it was Slade on the other end what did he mean by hurting them?

She struggled to keep him pinned down, but a swift punch to her jaw was enough to cause her to let go rolling away to try and shake it off only to have to dodge the few moments where he tried to slam his boot into any part of her body at least trying to get a hit in though she was too fast. She quickly got back to her feet switching out her batons for her staff well honestly she had been lucky enough to have a spare one lying around twirling it between her fingers before striking at him watching him move out of the way rushing forward grabbing onto the staff catching her off guard for a moment only to have it soon turn into a struggling match feeling him trying to overpower her with brute rage…two could play at that game. She started to push back at an equal pressure, but she could feel herself wanting to put more into it than what she was limiting herself…if she just…no she wasn't going to rely on that. She wanted her friend back not to break him to pieces though it really liked that idea personally though the sound of the others arriving on the roof were enough to shake those thoughts from her mind.

"Robin stop it! I don't want to fight you anymore just please…we all just want to talk to you." She stuttered out of her mouth looking towards him with pleading eyes, but that wasn't enough feeling him lift up his legs taking her by surprise knocking her back along with the air in her lungs making her roll across the roof. She held her stomach in agony taking note that his boots had steel on the bottom of them making her glad that he almost didn't crush her skull back there hearing Cyborg trying to talk him out of it as well only to earn a kick similar to the one she just suffered. Nightingale quickly ignored the feelings that were rushing through her mind ready to run back into the fray watching Beast Boy change into a gorilla bringing both his fists down onto the roof trying to make the boy wonder stumble, but he leaped out of the way even dodging a few grabs while traveling up the large "A" on the sign. The green hand reached for him once more making him leap to the top of the letter perched above the group spotting the green ape was now climbing up after him making Robin move for a quick escape jumping off hurling some of the new toys Slade gave him wrapping a thin cord around the gorilla's wrist pulling him through the center of the letter keeping him there for now.

He landed roughly onto the roof running past Starfire ignoring her protests rushing towards Raven ready to send flurry of strikes towards her only to be blocked by Nightingale's staff. He watched the girl look back giving her a small nod before jumping up noticing that four black balls of her magic had appeared on the ground before the black-haired girl landed on them soon skating around him taking a few rough pot shots towards his midsection only to have him catch on watching him try to go for Raven to break her concentration, but Nightingale almost seemed to be moving fast…too fast. He blocked another attack from her taking in the small opening he was giving watching her seeming to care for her left side still moving into a flying kick that landed on its mark making her fly off the black orbs slamming into the "Y" causing sparks to generate from the dent she had just formed a pained silent scream seemed to exit her mouth, but he took his attention away focusing on attacking Raven once more. He started to send a mixture of fast kicks and punches towards her watching her block each with her shield though a few times she glanced over to the barely moving Nightingale seeing her trying to pull herself from the dent she was in, but she seemed to be having a bit of trouble. Cyborg was having a bit of trouble in his own right aiming the cannon towards Robin wanting to fire, but he couldn't bring himself to even send out a shot disengaging his cannon running forwards to try and throw a punch towards the masked former hero though he only connected with one of Raven's shields shocking the girl for second.

Nightingale grimaced for a second not spotting Starfire engaging in the nearby fight that was going on finally feeling herself coming free only to take in that Beast Boy was still struggling next to her. Though before she could even make a move towards him he finally changed into a different animal, an anaconda slithering down the letter touching down onto the roof before transforming into a big horned ram charging towards Robin slamming into him once the others were out of the way watching him roll towards the end of the building making flashes of her own fall down a familiar tower in Gotham was enough to make her rush forward still armed with her staff ready for anything that could come next. Beast Boy seemed to get there first asking if he was alright to only get thrown back into Cyborg like he was nothing guessing he wasn't incapacitated yet. He carefully got back to his feet still in a crouched position taking in his teammates before him watching Nightingale's left arm starting to shake while black specks once again slowly started to flow off her, but he could understand why she was showing signs of nervousness it was only three years ago since the last time she was on top of a Wayne building hadn't been the best scenario.

Slade spoke in his ear telling him to use the blaster, but he ignored it hearing Raven speak her incantation towards him sending a spiral of black aura towards him encasing his midsection his right arm was still free from its grip pulling out a flat explosive device throwing it towards the letter she was floating by causing an impromptu flash grenade breaking her concentration making her fall to the ground…though that might have been a bad move in his part hearing a low angered snarl enter his ear watching Nightingale rush forward at him to only do the same. He quickly got the upper hand on her mostly through it twisting her arm that had the staff behind her back before slamming her face first into the roof below incapacitating her for who knows how long meaning he had little time to actually still escape. He turned towards Cyborg wailing on him with hit after hit watching him bring out his sonic cannon not wanting to still fire on the man who he still assumed was a friend hearing the blasting device almost at full charge before the bionic man was knocked to his back sending off an explosion near Robin's feet making him jump up once more to the "A" before rushing across the other letters to make his escape…though it wasn't going to be so easy when Starfire appeared blocking his path aiming a starbolt straight for his face.

"Do not move." She started calmly the fierceness in her voice was apparent taking in that she wouldn't possibly hesitate watching her friends slowly getting up from the rush of attacks they had endured. Robin heard Slade order him once more to use the blaster making him hesitate for just a second raising his left arm toward Starfire shakingly not wanting to harm her hearing the machine charging up with a ball of red energy forming on the end. Both seemed to be staring each other down waiting for the first attack, but Star soon lowered her arm the starbolt disappearing quickly around her hand making Nightingale fear the worst. She soon found herself rushing towards the letters beginning to climb up to try and at least give the girl a fighting chance against being blasted head on, but she soon took in that Robin was lowering his arm trying to tell her something only to wince moving a hand up towards his ear like a high pitched noise had disrupted him finally taking in what Slade was say to him a sinking feeling soon started to enter his body hearing the man utter the words he didn't want to hear not now.

"If you won't attack my probes will." Slade's words sounded cold and echoed in Robin's mind, but his teammates were unaware of what kinda pain they were going to have to deal with. Nightingale had been charging towards Robin to get the drop on him when she felt it…a searing pain resonating from her stomach causing her to stumble for a second feeling the agony soon move to her heart eyes widening in a surge of panic towards the orange and red dots starting form over her. She started to back up terrified of what was happening to her only to slip making her tumble down to the roof hitting her back hard against the roof, but that wasn't as bad as the torture she was going through right now. It hadn't fully travelled over her skin watching the others soon convulsing the same way she was hearing it screaming in her head to fight back and stay calm though that fell on deaf ears hearing a cry of agony escape from her throat tears welling in her eyes at the sudden thought that she might be dying right now. She could feel the pain resonating from her heart the most making her grip tightly near the area rolling over to her side struggling to get back onto her feet she wasn't going to die lying down…no Nightingale wanted to go out fighting. She reached for her staff that only was a few inches in front of her to feel a heavy sensation coming over her making her crash back to the roof once more her eyes fluttering trying to stay open making her feel like she should be accepting this, but every part of her mind was screaming that she had to get back up.

The sound of a blast hitting its target entered her ears over the groans of agony expelling from her teammates when the sudden tightness started to leave her chest making her gasp for air wondering why she had been holding her breath seeing the orange and red dots fading from her teammates glancing up towards the letters spotting Starfire rousing awake along with them meaning Robin must have…she shook it off finally getting to her feet once more hearing it mutter something about that being a close one. Everyone soon gathered around to try and figure out what the hell had just happened only to hear Robin yelling while he plunged towards them this fight wasn't over yet seeing him trace his blaster along trying to separate the five of them. Nightingale quickly pulled out her batons watching Beast Boy being thrown into Raven knocking them both back rushing towards him at an inhuman speed, but he was able to catch on knocking the weapons from her hands hearing them clatter to the ground before feeling Robin grab onto her wrist throwing her over his shoulder and slamming her into the roof. Her eyes blur for a moment trying to regain herself after the sudden shock to her system was enough to make her want to just continue to lay there hearing the blaster go off two more times. She struggled with herself for a moment sitting back up her ears ringing loudly making her grind her teeth together hoping it would stop at some point, but that wasn't going to be an easy wish.

The titans were still fighting Robin though she took in that his blaster now lied in pieces on the building making her glad they at least got the upper hand. She reached for her batons placing them back into their pouch on her belt grabbing her staff finally using it to pull her back to her feet once more. She watched them back him up to the edge of the building thinking that they had finally gotten him where they needed him to be, but she spotted the boy wonder reaching for his belt and pulling out three explosive discs from earlier aiming them towards the group. She moved on her own watching Starfire and Cyborg dodge the two that were headed for them before getting in between Beast Boy and Raven slamming her staff into the explosive knocking it up into the air like a baseball before it exploded midair pushing them back slightly. The two that went over them hit against the letters making the that were the most damaged fall forwards making the titans quickly move out of the way with Nightingale hurling herself out of the way only to hear it telling her that she might be in danger, but a quick glance over to Raven was enough to see that she was handling herself only to watch the "A" crash around Cyborg who came out of it unscathed. Once again they all gathered around each other Nightingale seeming to be holding herself up more with her right side holding her hand over a bruise that was forming where Robin had pressed his foot against it to propel her away. She was slightly glad that the others were possibly as banged up as she was slowly starting to collapse her staff in on itself hearing the others talk around her taking it in that Robin had just mopped the floor with them all, but something still lingered in her mind…what was that thing with the dots on their bodies?

"Everybody okay?" Cyborg asked out of curiosity wanting to know if anyone had really been badly injured during the fight.

"Bruised, beaten and a little sore, but I am alright." Nightingale replied back stretching her back out only to remember the bruise from earlier sending a signal of pain to her brain making her slowly come back down from trying to pop her back. She watched spotting Raven was staring at her though it was hard to see what emotion she had in her eyes having Beast Boy's voice tear her away.

"Uh I know where Robin picked up the heat ray, but where did he learn the glowy hurty trick?" Beast Boy asked curiously though she could swear that he was able to generate the colors that were attached to them only moments ago in his eyes, but the affects soon disappeared. Nightingale couldn't really give him a straight answer since she was trying to work that out herself, but Starfire seemed to catch on faster than any of them.

"I do not think that was Robin. Perhaps it is Slade who has learned a new trick." She stated confidently making the others look towards each other knowing the girl was right, but what kinda trick could he have learned?

 _In Slade's lair_

Slade sat in his chair watching the feed he picked up from the nearest building watching the fight from earlier unfold taking in how fierce his apprentice was towards his former friends, but another screen had different scenes where Nightingale was fighting just as fierce making him wonder if he had chosen the right one though he soon ignored that thought towards the backup one since there was no way he would really be able to control her the way he had Robin…she seemed like she would risk her own death to keep her friends safe watching for a moment seeing her still trying to move after the probes had taken affect like she was still raring to fight. He moved back towards the main screen rewinding the video once more to feel a bubble of something forming in his chest most possibly pride, but it wasn't earned properly watching a few more images from the fight scattered across the large one in the center that he had been rewinding repeatedly waiting for his apprentice to return.

"My apprentice is progressing even faster than I had hoped. All he needed was a little motivation." Slade said to himself rubbing his wrist where the trigger was located seeming to be slightly distracted not hearing the sound of footsteps approaching him hearing his apprentice's voice echo through his lair.

"Motivate this!" He yelled hurling a fist towards Slade only to have it be caught by the villain whose eye showed no amusement towards the attack. Robin is thrown across the room, but he manages to catch himself watching the black and orange masked villain leaving his chair stretching out the hand that he had just caught the first with hearing the fingers pop loudly.

"Robin…that was vicious, dishonorable and ruthless. You are becoming like me with every second." The masked villain spoke proudly, but the sudden malice mixed in was enough to make an educated guess that this wasn't going to be ignored. He turned away for a moment only to once again turn towards his apprentice throwing a string of blows his way watching the boy try and dodge even putting up some effort to counter attack him, but Slade got the upper hand putting him into a headlock and taking him up off the ground a small smirk appeared under his mask only to feel the boy's feet slam straight into his face causing him to loosen his grip stumbling back from the blow hearing his apprentice taking in the air that was escaping from his lungs. Slade glared at the boy before him his hands curling into a fist ready to strike or defend depending on the next few moves that were going to quite possibly be done by either of them.

 _With the Titans at the tower_

Nightingale stared up at the screen seeing Beast Boy's vital signs running across it before glancing over at the little imp who was covered in different types of machines trying to at least find something wrong in his system though she offered go through it instead of him only to earn a small protest since she had already had damage dealt to her body though personally she didn't want them to see that her heart had slowed in its pace healing the bruise and scrapes that had appeared on her body. Her wait for an answer wasn't long hearing the machine beeping signaling something was amiss making a small sigh of relief escape from her throat, but it didn't feel like a great thing knowing there might be something in all of them that can cause them to become ticking time bombs.

"Think I found something." Cyborg stated drawing all their attentions towards the screen once more watching him type away bringing up what was a live video feed of Beast Boy's blood stream. "The enhanced sensors are picking up some interference on the microscopic level."

Her eyes widened watching the feed seeing a few nano probes floating around in Beast Boy's body…oh god did that mean there were some in her body as well? Her stomach quite didn't like to think that way making her frown at the thought feeling a quick joke towards it all leave her lips. "Well I feel violated right now…"

She wrapped her arms around herself letting off a small shutter traveled through her body hearing Beast Boy reacting towards the nano probes in his system he had a right to be disgusted…well they all did. Her mind went back to the night they had all gotten hit by the bursts of red light that knocked them off the boat realizing that is when the probes were introduced to their systems and why Robin was in Slade's clutches.

"With such technology at his command Slade can destroy us whenever he wants." Starfire commented making it sound grave knowing that with a possible push of a button they all could not exist making her left arm start to shake once more remembering that feeling all too well looking away from the titans knowing now that they would have to find Robin and Slade because there was no telling when those probes would strike next.

 _Back with Slade and Robin_

It seemed only seconds had gone by while the two seemed to still be collecting themselves, but that didn't last long with Robin striking first using his momentum hurling himself towards the metal mask, but he felt his ankle getting grabbed before swinging him low scraping the floor for a split second throwing him towards the machinery above hearing a scream leave his throat hooking himself on a crankshaft to stop his momentum towards the gears taking a slightly shaky breath at the thought that he was quite possibly going to be crushed to death. Robin moved trying to get himself to safety landing into a machine platform warily looking back and forth wondering if Slade was going to pop up out of nowhere wandering closer to the levers that controlled some of the wheels taking in a good look around at his surroundings. Steam slowly started to billow up from a stationary gear hearing the sound of it creaking to life was enough to make Robin turn his attention towards it his eyes narrowing spotting the familiar boots slowly start to step off the gear that they had used for transportation.

He heard Slade make a comment saying that he was good and with a few more years under his belt he could be so much better, but he ignored the words leaking from the mask backing up towards the levers breaking one off ready to use the substitute staff twirling it back and forth readying himself to attack watching the man before him pulling out his own staff extending it causally like he was going to shake off any attack that the boy wonder was going to throw at him. More steam started to roll around them with a pregnant silence filling the air around them waiting to see who would make the first move once again only for Robin to charge in. The masked villain parried his attacks stopping a powerful attack pressing his full weight behind it feeling that Robin was doing the same though he soon overpowered the young man pushing him towards a pipe before trying to swipe at him with his weapon. This didn't go as planned however with his metal staff soon stabbing into the pipe letting steam envelope the both of them when the boy ducked out of the way using a push off from the staff to blindly swing his makeshift staff into the steam hearing it hit against something metallic making the boy wonder grin for a moment thinking that he had him only to see him get back up through the remaining steam.

He was taken aback for a moment, but soon backed out of the way seeing a karate chop headed towards him jumping away hearing it break the staff sticking out of the pipe before moving towards a bend in the damaged pipe his eyes wondering with a camshaft swinging back and forth in front of him making him back up slowly wanting to disappear into the darkness spotting Slade appearing after one swing swept past him only for a few seconds later to disappear once more. His eyes went wide trying to figure out where he had gone feeling pressure being applied to his side causing him to careen off the bend finally slamming into a stationary gear wincing at the nerves that were going onto over drive at the sudden crushing sensation he was feeling. His vision was burly for just a moment being a bit dazed from the hit, but he soon came back seeing Slade coming straight for him making the boy duck down to dodge an armored fist headed straight for him rolling away giving the two of them a good distance. He watched him slowly pull his fist out of the hole he had created cracking his knuckles seeming to show no signs of pain at all towards what had happened. Robin's eyes narrowed full of hatred towards him running across for another leaping attack not aiming directly for him though going past the man's shoulder bringing his leg up for a devastating spin kick that staggered Slade making him unable to block the next kick which made him tumble over the side landing in front of the monitors the titans bloodstreams visible once more. Robin landed facing towards the man who was now struggling to get up noticing that one of his kicks had cracked his mask, but the pure rage emanated from him was even enough to rival Nightingale's if there was ever a competition.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." The malice laced in with his calm voice once again while Robin stepped closer unfazed by the sound of it echoing through the room.

"I wish had done that sooner." Robin snarled back towards the man reaching for the "S" that was on his left side tearing it off and throwing it towards the kneeling man on the ground hearing a guttural growl escape from him before changing to a full on roar of rage charging towards the young man that was starting to become a pain in his ass. The boy wonder readied himself for the defensive blocking multiple attacks that were aimed for him moving into a handstand trying to knock him back with a few kicks, but he felt the man grab his foot stopping him for even executing his attack immobilizing him for the time being. The two looked back and forth between each other before hurling the boy away from him watching him slam into the ground roughly seeing him struggle to get up off the ground while the sound of Slade's boots tapping against the metal floor towards him was enough to make him want to try harder.

"I have much more to teach you, but first you need to learn to show is gratitude." Slade finally stopped standing in front of the boy wiping his face seeing that he was getting rid of the blood that was near the corner of his mouth glancing up at the monitors…oh he was going to teach that boy gratitude even if he had to beat it into him. His unruly apprentice sent out a small shout trying to rush him once more, but Slade caught his arm bending in back forcefully past his shoulder dumping him back onto the ground releasing the hold watching him roll away for a second before leaning down gripping his hand into the boy's hair. "I made you my apprentice. All my knowledge, all my power, all for you though your teammate…Nightingale was a second choice if I couldn't get my hands on you. But the only thing you seemed to care about is your worthless friends!"

He pulled Robin's head up for a second slamming it down before letting go of his hair and taking a couple of steps back letting his apprentice at least get to his feet his eye narrowed towards the boy bringing his wrist up once more ready to let lose his probes into the titans…they were becoming an annoyance and needed to be dealt with. He watched the boy seem to ready himself to attack once more, but his resolve soon changed to defeat knowing that he couldn't let his friends get hurt because he was being defiant. Slade's sudden glee seeing his apprentice obey was short lived with a starbolt hurled towards him knocking the villain back towards his monitors shaking him a bit. Robin looked towards were it came from seeing Starfire and the others standing around Slade's supposed throne all prepared to attack making him wonder how they were even able to find him or the lair for that matter watching Star readying two blast to attack if need be. Nightingale looked over towards him giving him a sly smirk added with a small wink signaling to him that everything was going to be okay, but he knew it wasn't hearing Slade starting to get up from the sudden attack.

"Get out of here go! You don't know what those beams did to-." Robin started to speak, but his team soon spoke giving him a knowing glance understanding what was inside their bodies paying heed to what Starfire and Nightingale had to say.

"We are your friends Robin and we are not leaving you." Starfire said warmly knowing the words that were leaving her mouth had been true.

"If you really think I'm going to let Slade keep his grubby dirty hands on you, you really need to rethink our friendship." Nightingale joked giving him one of her lazy smiles, but the reunion was short lived her attention soon drawn towards Slade readying herself by pulling out her staff twirling it around in almost the same manner as Robin was before though hers seemed to contain more of a bravado to it.

"That is very touching, but Robin doesn't need friends." Slade glared down at the titans pressing the button once more making the sudden choking sensation return through her body Nightingale's staff clattering to the ground grasping at her chest seeing the orange and red dots traveling over her body once more gritting her teeth watching the black specks also flowing off her body like they were trying to lessen the pain, but it was still agony. She could feel it trying to bring her to her knees, but she struggled against it staring up towards Slade with rage filling her eyes the color purple bleeding through while the masked villain watched in a slight stunned silence seeing that she was still trying to stand up and fight glancing over to see the other titans were struggling to even stand only to watch the alien girl trying to lift her head up towards them. He used his free hand to point towards the last standing titan watching her move forward struggling to stay afloat, but the purple color bleeding through was enough to cause him to feel something…was that fear? "This is the price for disobedience Robin now do as I command and attack!"

Robin looked towards Nightingale seeing her grasping at her heart and stomach unable to imaging the pain she was going through to even try and stay standing looking away only to see Starfire looking towards him her eyes welling with tears hearing a soft gasp escape from his throat looking off towards the device that was generating the energy in the first place, but how was he going to get to it with Slade just…he got his answer hearing the villain be surprised by getting slammed by Nightingale who had stumbled across the battlefield trying to knock over Slade, but this only made him stumble his thumb taking itself off the trigger for a second letting Robin see her face blood dripping from the corner of her mouth seeing her purple eyes boring into him her voice shaking him to the core.

"Whatever you are planning on doing do it!" She yelled at him her face soon stricken by pain once more with the dots traveling along her face before Slade threw her away from him not giving her another chance to try and attack making her land at the feet of the other titans watching her twitch and convulse at the torture she was being put through. Robin was thankful for the encouragement his eyes narrowing with determination before running over to the device taking a leap towards it hearing Slade call out his name planting a hand firmly onto the device feeling it slowly coursing through him bathing in the red glow that was surrounding him groaning at the pain. The physical strain on his body was starting to become too much, but there was no way he was going to let go now slamming his other hand onto the device. He gritted his teeth trying to ignore it until he is forcefully thrown back away from the machine with the rig setting off a small explosion before subsiding once more with steady energy seeming to be back to normal.

Robin could smell the smoke rolling off his body while he stood up the sudden pain that started to resonate from his body was enough of a guess to tell him that the probes were in his blood stream a monitor behind him coming to life had been the final hint. He slowly started to walk towards Slade a large grin plastered on his face for this small victory watching the man seeming to regret his trigger that he had attached to his wrist before glaring down at the boy below him. "New deal Slade if I lose my friends…you lose your apprentice. I know how you hate to lose."

With those last words Robin collapsed to the ground twitching and in agony just like his friends…if they were going down then so would he. Slade glared down at the boy before looking towards the device on his wrist knowing it would bring an end to his apprentice ripping it off his arm crushing it a bit before throwing it aside sparks flying off the machine before it died out. The orange and red dots soon started to fade on Robin giving him a chance to breathe for possibly a moment though he knew Slade wouldn't drop this matter so easily tilting his head up to see he was going to bring his boot down onto his head. He quickly reached up to stop him surprising the villain on to see him get slammed by a blur of black and white making a guess that Nightingale was back on her feet seeing her grin down towards him holding out her hand to help him to his feet. The two stood back to back the girl hold her fists in the air ready to attack hearing the others getting ready to attack Robin swelling with pride for a moment finally hearing the familiar words leave his mouth once more.

"Titans! Go!" he ordered hearing the sound of their footsteps rushing forwards with Nightingale saying back waiting for the perfect time to attack placing her hand on Robin's shoulder squeezing it to give him some sense of reassurance hearing the other putting the smack down on Slade hearing a roar exit Beast Boy's mouth making her look towards the fray watching him slice at Slade's stomach causing damage to his armor represented by four claw marks. Starfire and Cyborg blasted a flurry of shots mixing blue and green while he seemed to be stumbling to dodge each coming attack making him soon take a small tumble trying to get back to his feet thought the Titans weren't going to give him any slack. Raven cast a quick spell binding his feet and slinging him hard into the platform a small smirk appearing on Nightingale's face looking curiously towards her partner.

"How does the old one two sound to you?" She grinned mercilessly towards Slade watching him stumble to get up with Robin giving her a small nod rushing forward hearing the girl follow soon after sending a flying kick into Slade's face taking him by surprise once more his mask seeming to show more fissures being close to falling to pieces, but he was soon felt the sudden pressure of his stomach being slammed into by Nightingale feeling the sudden force of an inhuman punch landing its mark along with Robin aim there as well. The two moved in sync almost pulling their fists back and moving their free ones towards the metal mask hitting on contact knocking the man up off the floor hearing the sound of metal splintering. The two of them backed off ready to attack once more only to paused seeing the man turn towards them covering the side of his face with his broken part of his mask clattering to the floor his lone eye looking as if it was going to pop out of his head. The man started to run making Nightingale almost go after him, but Robin put his arm in front of her holding her back signaling that now wasn't the time to finish him off.

The peace was short lived with the monitors going black before the room was soon washed over in a red light the sound of machine parts falling and scraping against each other seemed to be enough of a hint that Slade had set his base to self-destruct. Nightingale looked up her vision being affected by the light fading in an out to spot gears slipping off of their axles making her moved forwards trying to signal to the others that they needed to get out of there. Soon everyone is making a mad dash towards an exit of any kind with Cyborg running to the device that Robin had his hands on earlier tearing out from its perch before joining them in their escape she slowly pulled out her grappling gun aiming it towards and axel that hadn't fallen to the floor watching it wrap around before using her momentum to swing herself to safety spotting Starfire and Robin flying towards the platform that led to a chance of escape. She let go of her gun sad to say she wouldn't be able to unhook it this time hurling herself towards the railing slamming into it grunting loudly at the impact before climbing over seeing Robin had finally landed as well though it was a bit safer than her own choice opening the door to reveal a bright white light on the other side a welcoming feeling over coming her hearing him speak the words that came out of his mouth.

"Let's go home."

 _An hour later back at the tower, night has fallen once more_

The titans had finally been able to get all the probes out of their systems thanks to Cyborg grabbing the machine watching anxiously since Beast Boy was the last one to even go through it. Nightingale seemed to be absent from the group, but the others were fine with it since she was trying to prepare herself for what she was going to tell them all Robin finally getting the answers he wanted. Beast Boy asked in a muffled and hard to hear voice if he was done yet, earning a large smile from Cyborg making the boy almost tear off every piece of machine on his body wanting to celebrate dancing a bit at the sudden freedom and the sense of happiness that seemed to be resonating from them all at the thought they didn't have to deal with the sudden pain from the nano probes anymore. Robin had changed back to his original costume slightly relieved to be back in it once more watching the others goof around planning on having breakfast for dinner, but he couldn't let the sinking feeling leave him…something wasn't right.

 _In Nightingale's room_

Ever since she was cleared of the probes she had been pacing back and forth trying to prepare herself to tell the others about what she is…what she was capable of doing, but every time she tried to word it right she could feel the words getting caught in her throat making a ragged sigh escape from her throat running her fingers through her hair trying to control her nerves. She waited patiently for her phone to turn on grabbing it earlier noticing that it was fully charged hoping to call Misty to see if there was a possibility that she could at least have some guidance on this, but once it was brought to life her phone started to buzz off the hook making her curious wondering who was trying to get her attention. She picked it up feeling the vibrations traveling through her arm unlocking the screen noticing that James had called her phone repeatedly over the last couple of days…odd. Messages scrolled underneath them thought they barely made any sense like they were typed by a toddler just mashing random buttons when another buzz traveled out of the phone revealing James a was calling her again guessing that it was fate that she wanted to talk to Misty swiping to answer the call.

"Hey, I was about to call you I need to talk to-."

' _Why haven't you been answering?! James is missing while you're off playing fucking hero!_ 'Misty's voice came through sounding horse…had she been crying? A few hiccups and sobs exited through her speaker making her assumption correct hearing the girl continue. ' _I've been calling you over and over again hell I even tried to send messages, but haha silly me a blind person can't fucking type!_ '

"Wait calm down and take deep breaths Misty…James is gone how like you have a link with him and everything are you sure he just didn-." She was cut off once more by the empath a sudden sinking feeling traveling up her throat at the sensation of bile filling it.

' _Oh yes, it's such a coincidence that he goes missing once I hear the news that_ _ **she**_ _got out of jail on good behavior…Celine? Are you listening to-_.' Nightingale wasn't listening only hearing Misty's voice become muffled to her own ears staring at her phone noticing an email popping up onto her notification bar revealing the message feeling her had slowly starting to crush the phone in her hand throwing it to the floor. She reached for her utility belt placing it on her waist azure eyes steeling over with furry hearing Misty's distorted voice echoing off the speaker before hearing it dying out. The message on the email was burning into her mind and it was causing the rage to bubble up more…if she really was here she was going to need better weapons knowing she left her other kukri at the apartment…a place she hadn't been to since joining the Titans. She carefully took the intact blade out of her drawer feeling the heavy weight on her hand once more before attaching it to her belt silently. She reached over opening the window feeling the wind burst around her ignoring her curtains that were being rattled jumping onto her desk on a couched position before jumping out silence filling the room before a bird could be seen in the distance flying away.

Raven went to escape the mess that was happening in the kitchen wanting to check and see if Nightingale was ready to have her little talk, but the closer she got to the room a sudden empty feeling entered her chest making her want to rush faster opening the door to feel a cold breeze wash over her. Her violet eyes widened rushing into the room looking around not spotting any evidence that the black-haired heroine was even still there feeling panic bubble up in her throat spotting her phone on the floor smashed almost to dust. She didn't pay attention to the large black feather with specks of white splattered onto fluttered onto the desk only to be pushed onto the floor and under the girl's desk hearing the muffled footsteps of Raven rushing out of the room after picking up the damaged phone from the floor to tell the others…she was gone the words echoed in her mind feeling her chest starting to ache wondering where she could have gone…and why didn't she tell anyone where?

* * *

 **Heeeeeey I leave you guys on a cliffhanger I know, but I am getting you prepared for the reveal. Well James is possibly somewhere in Jump City and Nightingale has gone looking for him. Yes she jumped out the window, but was able to somehow get out of there unscathed, if you get the hint of the bird flying off and the feather, but haha I am not revealing anything until next time.**

 **Also it fucking hurt making her run off like that, but plot stuff happens. Anyways leave a review or PM me also my Tumblr is available as well my profile might have it if I have updated it prior to posting this…possibly not. Haha anyways hope you guys are ready because the next time I post everything will be revealed.**

 **Y'all have a good day or night you hear? Anri out!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Hi how you doing? Well I'm doing just fine…I lied I am totally being eaten up inside because this chapter is going to hurt me to do….I don't like hurting my baby damn it. WELP I'm already fucking crying and dying inside so why not just pull off the bandage a bit faster huh? Anyways welcome to chapter fourteen happy to see you here blah blah blah I know you guys are used to it, but welcome back for another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **. Now we are getting into the fun plot shit and you are getting not one, not two, but three chapters just dedicated to just learning so much about Nightingale and what she is and her past…just almost all of it I still have a few secrets under my sleeves. Well I don't wear sleeves…fuck you get what I mean lol.**

 **The title of this chapter is Downfall…well it's just so fitting…oh wait you haven't read it yet so I don't think you will get why it is like this, but I am going to touch up on a few instances from her past and well its gonna suck. Nightingale is possibly one of my favorite characters I have made because she is so well thought out and she seems real on many occasions. Haha sorry I just get attached to my characters very easily and it's nice to actually have them be appreciated by people who read my shitty stories. Getting up to fourteen chapters is kinda a big deal and I hope y'all enjoy this til the end. Also I really don't know how long this chapter is going to be nor am I sure it's going to be short, but if it is either of them after I put it up than I am really sorry about that.**

 **Okay back to the summary this chapter will be focusing on where we left off meaning Nightingale going out to try and find James in Jump City along with whoever has been sending her messages though she already possibly can tell who the person is that might be connected to his disappearance. The titans will also be trying to find her since she abruptly left when they were going to get answers, but is the truth really what they need? Yes of course the truth is needed, but it might be ugly though that is for them to decide and you the reader as well. I will be having three characters fully introduced and just…holy shit it's just going to be tough.**

 **Ah just putting this here as well we are going to have possibly a few trigger warnings in this chapter so this is an early warning to what you might read later on. Like the shit she has been through no human being on earth should even be put through, but there are places around the world where this happens a lot. The victims are scare to even talk about what happened and what they had been through because they are terrified of what will happen if the one who did these things to them finds out. Sorry small rant on that it's just it sucks people can't really talk about what they've gone through I've known a lot of people though my life and it hurts knowing those things happened to them and personally I want to beat the shit out of the person who hurt them like that.**

 **Um sorry again about that, but it is necessary I put the trigger warning that being I am going to touch on subjects that not a lot of people can handle or they have been through something like that and don't want to relive the feelings that the went through in that moment of time. If it hurts you to read it then please stop and if you are uncomfortable about it I would do the same as well. It's not pleasant nor will it ever be pleasant to talk about these things much less mention them in public without being scared of what people would think of you after.**

 **Uh anyways onto the disclaimer yes?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I never will and I only own Nightingale, my other characters and the story along with her backstory as well. That's kinda it honestly.**

 **Alright lets…get this started shall we?**

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 **Chapter Fourteen: Downfall**

How many days has it been? Two or three now? Nightingale shook her head trying not to think about it almost slipping on the corner of the building edge that she was walking along taking in the quiet night sky starting up at the few stars that were visible through the light pollution that the city was making, but she wasn't here to sightsee. She narrowed her eyes looking towards the alley below spotting a few individuals milling about acting like they weren't planning on doing something shady though that wasn't the reason why she was here…no she wanted information and locations. She crouched down being slightly illuminated by the crescent moon behind ready to pounce, but her muscles didn't want to move from there place feeling a sudden ache rush through her making her want to shake it off reaching up and rubbing her tired eyes. She hadn't slept properly in the time she had been searching for James though she couldn't really find the urge to aside from the small naps she took while on the hunt, but they were brief…even it was showing signs of being tired along with her though there wasn't a chance that she was going to sleep not now…not when she was starting to get closer to her answers. She reached towards the two blades attached to the back of her utility belt hearing the sound of the magnetic clips coming undone waiting for the perfect time to jump down getting a small opening only seconds later seeing the people below seeming to be trading something between them.

She pushed off quickly landing on the ground between the small group of probably three or four individuals staring at her with utter shock over being spotted though really it was stupid of them to even do a back door deal in an alley so cliché. They rushed towards her, but she was already on guard pulling out her kukris spinning on her heel blocking each attack with the flat of each blade earning a few shocked cries seeing the item they were trading fall to the ground. Her eyes changing quickly the purple almost smoking around her eye sockets the black specks slowly swirling around her looking towards the person who was holding it making her guess it was a dealer glancing over towards the others seeing they were about her age making the sudden spike of rage surge even more inside turning once more sliding her blades back into their sheaths picking the dealer up by the collar of his jacket letting out a low snarl. A terrified expression passed on their face only getting worse hearing the people he had been trying to sell to run off in a hurry leaving him alone with this…thing he looked towards her hand watching her pulling the item towards his face revealing four patches of Venom in a small baggy causing him to squirm for a second hearing the voice leaving the girl's mouth her eyes lingering full of malice.

"Where did you get these." She questioned, but it came out more as a demand the words hissing out of her mouth almost shoving the patches in his face hearing a stutter trying to escape from the terrified man's throat making her lift him away from the wall only for a moment before slamming him back. "I said where did you get these patches from."

"L-look lady I don't really know where I just g-got a message on my phone telling me where to pick them u-up honest!" he stuttered out showing fear towards a person who was younger than him almost near the urge of pissing himself, but this teenager was sending out an aura of malice that could possibly be felt a few blocks away. "I-I really am telling the truth l-lady please don't hurt me!"

She watched him cover his face making her slowly snap out of the rage for just a second noticing she was holding him up off the ground. She let out a small annoyed tsk noise dropping him hearing him make a pained grunt landing on his ass not being prepared for the sudden drop making him scramble away from her for a second towards a pair of trash cans that were nearby. He watched the purple coloring leave her eyes showing bright azure in the darkness turning towards him with a slightly bored and tired expression on her face soon becoming unreadable hearing her turn on her heels towards him crouching down towards him being at face level…she could smell the fear rolling off him now or maybe it was something else in the air she couldn't really tell nor did she want to guess. He stared into her eyes for a moment soon becoming enamored with them, but soon the girl's ragged voice brought him back to reality jumping at the sound of it.

"If you don't know where they come from could you at least give me a bit of information on the man who gives them to you. He possibly stands at 6'2 when he's not hunched over like he's been slouching most of his life, black hair that comes up to about his jawline and bright green eyes that glow in the dark on occasions?" She asked curiously her voice taking a different tone from earlier mixing in with small hints of her being tired watching the man think for a moment giving her a slow nod making her think she was getting somewhere for once since most of her leads were starting to become dead ends. "Good…now I know he possibly moves locations so if you can point out the places you've meet with him for exchanges I would greatly appreciate it."

She reached behind her hearing him back further into the trash cans causing them to rattle a bit with his shaking form, but he seemed relieved to see her pull out a folded piece of paper unraveling it carefully showing it to be a map of Jump City a few marked and scratched out locations already scrawled on it in a mixture of elegant yet sloppy handwriting. She pulled out a pen holding it out towards him seeing his hand shake reaching for it before taking it marking a few places she hadn't check though they were scattered across the city meaning he had gotten much smarter in his time being locked up. Her mind wandered for a moment thinking back to the time she learned JD had escaped from jail with an accomplice the video of their escape plastered on the news outlets, but it was hard to make out the face of the girl that was leading him out along with a guard who had no memory of letting the prisoner escape just the fact that he had a friendly chat with a girl outside the prison and the next thing he remembered was being found by officers of Jump City Police parked near one of the many parks his car having died during some point in the night. A frown slowly started to appear on her face the video footage playing in her head spotting the familiar blonde hair that was imbedded into her mind, but the evidence became plain to see after hearing Misty's panicked voice days ago.

Nightingale heard the sound of the man clearing his throat dragging her out of the thoughts entangling her mind seeing him holding her pen towards her gladly taking it back clicking it the point in not wanting the ink to dry. She stood up picking up the map looking at the newly marked locations glancing back towards the man giving him a small nod signaling him to leave which he gladly chose to do scrambling up from ground running past her though she ignored the fear filled individual looking towards the new circles noticing things were slowly starting to make a patterned on the page. An area she already dismissed had been circled once more by the dealer a long with a few places closer to the center of the city were on her radar leaving one spot in the outer city limits unchecked. The possible chance that JD would hit these spots again was by a large margin, but when she grabbed the man by his collar she placed a tiny tracker to keep an eye on him. She reached down to her belt the paper fluttering for a second only for a pale hand to take ahold of it her eyes narrowing turning to her side to see it outside of her mind once more.

' _This isn't right kid you need to get the titans to help. There is only so much one person can do and you're wearing yourself down._ ' It commented the words leaving it's mouth were inlayed with concern, but the black-haired girl shrugged it off pulling out a device that showed a mapped GPS signal with a red dot moving away quickly from the alley she was in. It's eyes narrowed at her grabbing her by the chin turning to face towards its cold purple and black eyes. ' _Look at me. You need help kid handling this by yourself is making you sick if the titans were able to help you find James-._ '

"This is none of their concern and you know it. I can handle this myself and I have been no thanks to you." She tore her face away hearing an angered growl escape from it's throat folding up the map ready to start heading to the first new location before back tracking to the others only to feel something sharp prick her arm seeing it holding tightly onto her arm stopping her from moving any further its arm covered sharp thorns poking through its white outfit. She glanced down to the spot where it was holding her seeing blood slowly starting to darken the material glaring up towards it purple eyes seeing a mixture of emotions clouding them making it harder to understand.

' _I made a promise that you wouldn't come to harm from me, but you're pushing that envelope. I made a damn promise to keep you safe and I am going to keep it even if I have to break the deal I made with you._ ' It growled out towards her the malice rolling out of it's mouth was enough to make anyone shutter, but Nightingale was unmoved. She could hear another emotion mixed in the sound of worry. ' _So either you take a damn good amount of time to sleep or I swear to G-._ ' it choked on the word it was trying to say only to let out a rough cough before continuing once more. ' _I swear I will make you sleep…kid please I am begging you. Take a break for both of our sakes._ '

The pleading in it's voice was enough to make Nightingale bite her lower lip looking away from it's gaze silently wishing it didn't know how to pull the damn puppy dog eyes, but a low and tired sigh escaped from her throat the final signal that she was giving in for now…her mind was abuzz with the miss chances to retrace her steps though right now sleep was starting to sound good. She gave a small nod seeing it slowly remove their hand from her arm revealing metallic scent that was filling the air, but that could be easily fixed once she was back at the apartment slightly glad that her name was still on the room and rent had been paid in full for the few months she had been with the titans. It slowly disappeared from the alley back into her causing a small shutter to course through her body a warm breath escaped her throat before taking in the night air once more feeling an odd sensation travel throughout her system. It was a stinging pain that she was used to for so many reasons, but it never seemed to be getting old to her mind watching the black specks around her swirling upwards for just a moment gently catching onto the wind around her before swirling closer and closer. She closed her azure eyes folding in on herself for just a moment feeling the stinging start to worsen almost making her want to itch at her skin t break free, but she was able to handle it feeling her form shutter and shift for a few moments feeling her arms being replaced becoming smaller along with the rest of her body following suit until the specks dissipated revealing a large bird with a black coloring that slowly dotted away into white on its wings in place of where our heroine was once standing it's eyes opening showing a familiar color of a cloudless sky.

Nightingale stretched out her wings feeling the feathers become slightly ruffled at the small brush of wind that went past them, but she didn't have time to admire that right now…she had a time limit to keep since this form could only be used maybe two times or three if she was really trying to push it meaning she had only two hours to get back to the apartment. Her new bird legs seemed to hesitate for a moment flapping her wings for a moment trying to get her bearings wondering how Beast Boy could handle being one for so long before talking off feeling the updraft from the alley helping her get above the buildings before carefully soaring between buildings trying to not be noticed by any human or inhuman eyes that could possibly be in the city though she was more worried about the Titans finding her like this making her lose concentration just for a second the sudden sensation of her form shuttering snapped her back focusing on the task at hand since this usually needed her full attention feeling it eating at her for now on the inside. Familiar sights were soon starting to flood her eyes taking it in that she was getting closer to home…a shutter ran through her once more knowing that this wasn't home it didn't feel like it making a slow decent towards the fire escape feeling her form shifting more meaning something was causing her to lose concentration and she knew what it was. She braced herself closing her eyes for just a second feeling the winds shifting around her before opening them once more seeing that she at least made it over the ledge of the escape platform unlike the first night she came back, but she was soon distracted by the brick wall that was moving in a lot faster than she expected curling herself up to at least lessen the impact the sudden jolt on her back was enough to make her aware of the pain she was going to feel once she woke up later.

She lied there for a moment struggling to get onto her feet once more only able to muster the effort to sit up staring out towards the pier and beyond that…Titans Tower. Soon she felt herself looking away not wanting to dwell on the feelings that were going through her mind, but they were hard to ignore when they were constantly on her mind…they were always there. Seeing Starfire's wide smile trying to offer her an odd concoction of food only to give her a long winded apology after making her sick, Cyborg helping understand how to make the tools she had on her belt and getting excellent upgrades, Robin's somewhat intense training methods and planning out new ways they could at least get the upper hand on villains, hell she even missed Beast Boy's whining every time she would kick his ass at a video game making her resort to letting him win a few times…and Raven…her heart sent a shudder through her system reaching up towards her chest choking at it towards the sudden sensation filling it not knowing what it was or where it was coming from. Any time she tried to even think about the cloaked heroine was enough to cause this sudden numbing sensation to course through her making her soon stop when her body started to shutter though this time she didn't want it to stop hot tears started to bubble up under her mask making her take it off the awareness of the liquid traveling down her cheeks.

Soft hiccups left her throat knowing that she understood part of what she was feeling…she had betrayed them once more by running off like that just when she was planning on telling them everything. What she was and even quite possibly spilling the beans on why she truly came to Jump City, but now they possibly were wondering where she could have wandered off to or they were even looking for her right now though that might be a bit hard since she had disabled her communicator it lying in pieces on her table in the apartment. She tried hard to collect herself truly, but the cold shutter that ran through her was starting to make her feel worse about it all coming to the conclusion that the tears wouldn't stop any time soon. She stiffened a sniffle that was rising in her throat pulling herself to her feet finally only to use the wall for support struggling to open the window to her kitchen starting to feel weaker the more and more she tried noting how truly tired she had been finally pushing it up enough to crawl in carefully slamming it down before stumbling to her room in the dark kicking her boots off her feet carelessly not wanting to pay attention to where they went. She of course tried to be careful traveling through the dark only to feel her toe rush into a leg on the chair in the kitchen. Nightingale chewed on her bottom lip trying not to let out a yelp of pain already dealing with enough emotions running through her mind already hobbling to finally reach her room not even bothering to tear off her costume knowing she should possibly wash it later since it was the only one she took when leaving.

She soon let her aching body rest flopping onto the bed before her trying to enjoy what little rest she was going to get from this…her mind wandered once more towards the titans feeling the tears well up again covering them with her right arm trying to ignore them with the haze of sleep drawing much closer silence befell her room only the sounds of soft breaths being taken in slowly were the only noise being generated. It slowly melted out of her body for a moment giving a small smile before that soon disappeared properly trying to place a blanket on the girl at least offering another small gesture, but it withheld itself once more holding its arms to their chest looking away from her a promise echoing in its own mind thinking towards the violet haired teen that seemed to cause such pain to generate between both beings much less the other team members that were plaguing the girl's mind though right now wasn't the time to worry about that. It watched her carefully like it had done since…it didn't want to think about that right now not while she was asleep only to hear a soft growl leave it's throat knowing that caring for the girl was starting to become dangerous. The final thoughts leaving her mind started to echo into it's wondering if they titans were worried about her or where they even trying to find her right now? A soft sigh escaped into the air before it melted away once more knowing it needed sleep just like her, but the thoughts still lingered.

 _With the said Titans_

Robin stared at the computer screen with the sun leaking through the ops room for a moment watching the blips representing the other titans in their movements around town seeing if there was any sign of Nightingale's communicator being turned on feeling his leg starting to tap impatiently against the floor hoping that there was a chance to see it flash up at any time right now though he had sent out a signal a few minutes ago for the Titans to return. They all had searched almost everywhere in the city even fighting the attempt to use the cameras on the traffic lights to see if she was just walking around in plain daylight, but they were unable to find anything aside from a few random sightings though they tried to not ignore their duties of patrolling the city along with keeping the villains at bay. Any free time was spent trying to figure out where she went reviewing the cameras from the night she disappeared inside the tower only to see her enter her room after they had returned with him made an odd sensation of worry travel through his body being show by the small offset frown that appeared on his face. He moved his hands towards the keys on the computer typing out a few commands pulling up a scan of the day that she had run off spotting her signal ringing clearly at the tower pacing back and forth in her room, but her movement stopped briefly in what appeared to be the center of her room only to move once more towards the other end of her room before her signal glitched out though Cyborg couldn't explain the sudden glitch making a quick mention that it was still active during the incident. Soon her signal appeared over near the pier only to have the signal disappear altogether showing that Nightingale had possibly turned off her comm or even worse what had ever caused the blip to happen might have disabled it off the map completely.

He let out a soft sigh running his hand through his hair trying to figure out what went through her mind when she left had she been terrified to tell them the truth or was there something more to all of this? His frown seemed to increase the more he thought about it folding his hands together absentmindedly covering his expression while he tried to get his own answers. Nightingale had been one of the closest members to him in the Bat family, but even sometimes there were moments that she turned into a complete enigma or she was an open book there had never been an in-between for her almost telling him everything. The three years that she was supposedly dead changed her completely becoming secretive and trying to not divert attention to herself until recently coming to him joining the titans at his request…a small sad look appeared briefly remembering her saying that she just wanted to see how he was doing not join him in the life of fighting crime once more. Sure there was the possibility she wasn't enjoying her time here…and even if that was true she wouldn't have stayed so what had suddenly caused Nightingale to not even tell them that she left the tower much less how she even got out without showing up on the video feeds. The doors to the ops room pulled open making him aware that the team had returned and the sound of Beast Boy's obnoxious sigh had been enough of a signal to tell that they all appeared to have come upon dead ends in their searches rotating to face them taking in their mixture of emotions towards this turn of events.

Each member of the team at least has some extent of worry plastered on their face…it was easier to find Robin so why couldn't it be just as simple to find Nightingale? A few members even feared the worst that she was taken by Slade, but that would explain anything since the windows in the rooms only opened from the inside so that theory had been pushed away instantly the first time Beast Boy piped up about it. The two other male members of the group sat down on the couch looking quite exhausted from their search though Beast Boy seemed to continue his sighing much to the annoyance of the bionic man. Starfire had moved towards the kitchen seeming to frantically find something to keep herself busy though she was the one who seemed to be the most upset about Nightingale's disappearance ignoring the dishes that the black-haired heroine would frequently touch finally becoming defeated standing there for a moment looking disheveled and tears threatening to fall from her green eyes only to have it fade quickly going back to her cheerful appearance with hints of her true feeling traveling across every now and again. Raven sat across the room at the table her arms crossed against her chest while her hands seemed to be squeezing against the upper part trying to hold back whatever emotion was over coming her mind right now not wanting to lose her control, but even her resolve had begun to fade once Beast Boy started to speak his mind.

"Ugh why is she so hard to find like seriously dude we've tore through every part of the city trying to find her. She just up and vanished again right when we were about to get something good!" He exclaimed throwing his arms up in the air showing his frustration out towards the others before crossing his arms to lean back against the couch a pouted look appearing on his face. "Look all I am saying is if she wanted to be found we would have found her already."

'But friend Nightingale promised she would no longer run away there is a reason…" Starfire started, but she couldn't finish her own sentence fighting off the sudden sound that was coming from it being choked up at thinking about the black-haired heroine only to try and compose herself once more speaking once again. "We did not give up on our search for Robin after Slade had gotten him in the clutches so we must continue to look."

"Star I get where you're coming from, but Nightingale is better at hiding than our leader is no offense. I mean it was easy to find Robin once we figured out Slade's hiding spot this…is a bit harder than that." He replied back earning a warning side glance from Robin himself making him back off sheepishly rubbing his head avoiding his gaze clearing his throat. "Besides I mean if she wanted to tell us where she was going then it would be simpler right?"

Raven ignored the green imp trying to deal with the battle that was raging inside her mind…her emotions were on a war path ever since night that the girl had gone missing in the first place. Her head ached hearing all the voices once again shouting a few were arguing with Beast Boy's logic…she wouldn't just up and leave them without a warning right? She bit on her bottom lip trying to recover from the aching that was traveling through her body towards her chest just thinking about the azure eyed heroine could be enough to set it off moving her left hand towards her chest wishing the feeling would stop almost gripping against her leotard feeling her nails dragging across for a second. She tried to calm her emotions once more, but it ended in the same result so why was she being so attached to a girl she had hated months before? Sure they had become friends possibly close ones at that though it shouldn't hurt this much with her being gone…the sudden sound of something crashing brought her attention back to reality hearing Starfire gasp out of shock making her look up to see a few of the white mugs that were placed on the counter had been broken along with the jar that made a familiar cheeky grin appear in her mind once again seeing specks of chocolate powder covering the shards with the hint of peppermint filling the air.

"Dude what was that for?!" Beast Boy shouted at her, but Cyborg placed his hand on the boy's head signaling for him to shut up since Raven turned her face towards him revealing the swirl of emotions going through her eyes with one being so prominent making the titans take in that that had never picked up this sensation of loss that was flowing off the cloaked titan filling the ops room with an air of silence. It didn't last long with Robin clearing his throat to get everyone's attention once more, but Raven turned her head away still wanting to listen to what their leader had to say about the matter. Her emotions echoed once more in her mind hearing their voices concerns towards where Nightingale could be…and that they missed her. Her eyes widened for a moment at the thought that had just passed through her mind she actually missed the heroine, but why? Raven tried to rack her brain at the reason though Robin's voice flowed into the air making her push the thought back for now drowning out her emotions.

"Look I've known her for a long time and Starfire is right she would have to have a reason for leaving without telling us, but the question is what would cause that?" Robin questioned looking between every member that held his gaze getting up from his seat when the thought traveled through his mind. He rushed out of the ops room earning a few confused looks before the others followed suit seeing the direction he had been heading towards was Nightingale's room making Beast Boy stop in his tracks to try and protest that they shouldn't be snooping in her room, but it fell on deaf ears watching the masked hero placing his hand on the pad with the door sliding open with ease. The bedroom seemed bare like always with the window still open causing the sea air to assault their noses, but Robin ignored it walking through the threshold searching with his eyes around the room seeing if anything was off. Her smashed computer he had seen one time was now missing making him guess that she had thrown it out while he was possibly still under control of Slade, but aside from an open drawer there was nothing truly amiss. He glanced down towards the floor to notice her phone that was usually on her person had been almost smashed to bits making him raise an eyebrow towards it before moving further into the room and pulling a baggy out of his belt going into full detective mode now while the others seemed to be watching carefully.

He carefully turned the bag inside out picking the phone up with it before reverting it back trying not to damage any evidence that could possibly be left seeing it trying to come to life though the screen had been shattered beyond recognition. His eyes wandered around the room pulling out another bag just in case spotting a large feather under the desk making him slightly curious going toward it and picking it up the same way he did the phone noticing an odd coloration to it with black near the quill before slowly lightening in color to a white near the tip of it…no known bird in the area could have made a feather like this and much less for it to be this large in general. He frowned trying to think of answers knowing Cyborg could possibly get the SD card from the phone to analyze what she was last doing on it last not noticing that the others had slowly started to file into the room slightly curious at how she was able to keep it so clean though Raven hesitated for a second the scent of the concentration of the sea air coming in from the window was enough to make her want to choke, but there was a subtle hint of rose poking through it making the queasy sensation filling her slowly disappear getting over her hesitation to finally step in spotting the girl's guitar leaning against the computer tower though nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. Her fingers absentmindedly ran over Nightingale's sheets sending another puff of the rose smell up into the air though it seemed slightly stale in the air making her look towards the rest of the room once more…it was so immaculate and yet so simple…like it could be lived in one moment then the next be unoccupied though the sudden thought like that made her heart ache once more. Soon her attention was drawn to something that Beast Boy picked up from under the bed her eyes widening trying to let out a warning for him to not mess with what he had in his hand, but it was too late.

"Hey I wonder what this co-?!" the sudden frightened sound of pain leaving his throat towards the objects he had taken out from under Nightingale's bed watching the green boy being thrown across the room slamming into the closet doors bending them inwards to the shock of the others watching the two items falling to the floor revealing what he had picked up. A crystal arrowhead on a black leather rope was enough to cause curiosity seeing the center slowly cloud up with darkness before subsiding once it had fallen out of the green boy's gloved hands only to spot a brown leather booklet clattering to the ground covered in red etchings of vines covered in thorns snaking around the cover and moving towards the back while a lone red crown of thorns decorated the center with a small lit flame hovering in the center of it. The titans looked towards the only magic user of the group who seemed to be at a loss for words at the moment wondering how it was even possible for these items to be here, but she soon composed herself using her powers to pick the objects off the floor seeing the arrowhead acting dormant for now though she was getting that tense feeling from the others that they needed an explanation. A low sigh escaped from her throat pulling them closer to her holding her hands out ready to take the brunt of whatever was trying to protect her secrets. Starfire helped Beast Boy out of the dent that he caused though she seemed a bit worried about the doors as well, but the green imp dusted himself off.

"Okay I am used to freaky things, but that was the weirdest feeling ever. It was like something physically pushed me that way so what the hell is going on?!" Beast boy asked trying to not show that he had been shaken by the whole ordeal, but the answer he was going to get wasn't that simple. It would take possibly hours maybe to even explain magic theory properly to him though it would be really hard to get it across his thick skull.

"These are ward objects created by another sorcerer…they're meant to soak up dark and malice intent, but whoever made them seemed to put a seal on the items warding off anyone from knowing the user's secrets." Raven replied calmly still hesitant on touching the items not wanting the same fate would befall upon her much less he was lucky there wasn't a curse placed on them…that would have been a complete mess to remove. She watched three members of the team's faces flood with confusion leading to a slightly annoyed sigh to escape from her throat knowing she was going to have to at least explain it a bit further. "The arrowhead absorbs some of the malice and dark energy building up in a person though usually that should be enough, but the book takes added measures having the leather manifest on the power into a physical form hence the red etchings in the material."

"Oh I remember once friend Nightingale and I were planning on going to the mall of shopping. I walked in without knocking and she hurried to put something away under her bed." Starfire piped up seeming to understand what Raven was saying meaning her and Robin weren't the only ones.

"Soo…Nightingale has been using this for a while, but to control what exactly?" Cyborg asked scanning the items with his arm trying to see if he could identify the materials, but even his own advanced tech was unable to see anything matching any known product in any data base he ran it by. "The materials they are made from seem to be…"

"They aren't from any natural or manmade the materials used were gathered from somewhere that humans can't enter, but troll markets are exclusive to certain areas." Raven commented taking Beast Boy by surprise at the sudden mention of the troll market even she had trouble locating the one that was supposed to be here in the city.

"Whoa wait a second dude wards and troll markets what the hell is Nightingale anyways?!" Beast Boy questioned openly, but Raven didn't have an answer to that…no one really did. Personally she didn't want to explain to them all how it took then negative energy out wondering if anyone could smell the hint of iron in the air around the book, but she didn't want to think of how many times she had to use this…to hold back the thing hanging around her possibly? Or was there sort of a bigger picture here that none of them were even close to.

"It doesn't matter right now what she is we need to get to the bottom of where she went off to." Robin stated holding up the phone on the air for the others to see tearing their gazes away from the mysterious items. "Cyborg I need to you get the SD card out of this device or if it's possible hook the device to the computer to see if you can extract anything from it. Anything that seems suspicious contact all of us and we will be back, but while he is doing that we all are still going to keep searching for her in the city retracing our steps seeing if we can at least pick up any new clues."

The other members of the team nodded and started to disburse, but Raven still hadn't taken the items into her hands yet mentioning to the others she was going to catch up later taking a deep breath in bracing herself for whatever was going to attack her lowing the items closer and closer to her open palms feeling the arrowhead settle first generating no reaction what so ever. Once the book landed in her hand however images flashed into her mind of a large beast staring at her melting into the dark void around it with the only light being generated from the purple flame floating in the center of a thorn crown. A bleached white wolf skull with large and elaborate deer antlers attached to it faced towards her with an open maw a baring its sharp teeth for a moment only to close it deep purple eyes digging deep into Raven's body was enough to make her breath hitch before the image soon melted away bringing her back to Nightingale's room the sudden sea air soon replaced by the familiar scent of roses over powering her for a moment making her back out of the area the door closing in front of her making her realize that she was in the hallway alone. She took a shaky breath being aware that she had been holding it in the whole time glancing down towards the items tightening her grip onto them moving towards her room…she needed to do research now because whatever that beast was…it wasn't a good omen. The search could wait for now feeling a tug at her chest ignoring it completely knowing the others would understand…hopefully.

 _Back with our black-haired heroine_

Nightingale shot up a choked back gasp tried to leave her throat feeling sweat covering her body with a jolt through her system seeing flashes of Raven's terrified face appearing in her mindless dream that she was having made her on edge glancing around the room seeing the sunlight slipping through her window before the sensation wore off, but the worried look on her face didn't disappear. A cold shiver traveled through her body trying to get the image out of her mind, but right now that seemed to be a hard thing to do…her chest tightened for a moment seeing another flash of the cloaked girl's expression once more trying to shake it off this wasn't what she wanted to deal with when she woke up. Slowly she slipped out of her bed feeling her body being slightly relaxed stretching the sound of her back letting out a few soft cracks was enough to make her satisfied that she had indeed gotten a decent amount of sleep obeying it's request. Of course she soon looked down to see the mess of a costume she was wearing needed to be washed stripping out of it down to change into at least something while the clothes were being washed throwing on a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants that she was glad to have kept at the apartment running her fingers through her hair slightly disgusted by the greasy feeling she was getting from it. She quickly gathered up the costume to throw it in the washer turning it on hearing the sound of it trying to drown out her thoughts, but Raven's terrified face was enough to set something off in her…what had she been so terrified of? Soon she tried to shake the thoughts rushing forward it was just a dream so there was no reason to get worked up over it…right?

She slipped out of the shower trying to ignore the coldness that was traveling over her skin drying off her hair before moving to her body only to throw the clothes she had before back on…she had a few more hours until night fall approached again so there was time to kill. Stepping out of the bathroom the sudden sound of the washer buzzing signaling it was finished made her jump a bit, but she recovered quickly moving to the room and throwing the costume into the dryer setting it on for 20 to 30 minutes giving her just enough time to kill checking her equipment would be a start grabbing her utility belt off of her floor hearing the kukris clattering together seemed to be happy being with each other once more. She moved to the living room placing it on the small coffee table before her removing each item carefully taking note that she had maybe one flash grenade left that hadn't been touched while the grey orbs and colored smoke bombs seemed to still be in full stock. Her batons and staffs barely had been touched since she left the tower…she still felt the hesitation to pick them up knowing they were at least her last resort if her knives were knocked away.

She blinked for a moment cursing at the thought she just had knowing it was wrong her knives should be the last resort, but ever since she started this hunt they were the only things she used. Hell she even forgot her bow back at the tower since she had placed it in the closet feeling like she was barely using it anymore the sudden sensation of her chewing on the inside of her cheek became apparent pulling the kukris out of their sheaths seen they both were now holding bits of damage knowing that one might be even close to shattering so what was the point of still using them? She frowned for a moment taking her finger across the damaged once feeling the divots where pieces of the blade had chipped off from neglect while the other one still looked pristine and viable to still hurt someone though she couldn't part with it since they were hers…a low sigh escaped from her throat holding her hand out towards the blade hovering it above from a certain distance before a purple flame generated from her palm the flames licking up against the metal causing to slowly heat up to a molten color before the burning fire shut off and black thorn like vine shot up out of her hand squeezing against it trying to retain it's shape smelling the vines burning while they tried to hold. After waiting a few moments she used the other kukri to cut the burnt stems away revealing a makeshift fix for the blade, but it wouldn't last for long standing up and grabbing the sharpening stone from the kitchen trying to at least make the semi dull blade sharp once more hearing a beeping noise resonating from her back room and on the coffee table…the tracker was on the move. A small smile appeared on her face making her rush to put on her costume ready to finally get answers and find James, but the sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn't disappear.

 _Later on back at the tower near nightfall_

Raven had been continuously doing research on the creature she had seen in the vision, but it was hard to even identify it from all the hidden monsters that had been recorded in her books though when Cyborg said he had finally been able to retrieve something off of Nightingale's phone making her realize that night had started to fall once more. She quickly got up from the place on her bed the books slamming to the floor in a heap with her magical connection shattered when she rushed out of the room eager to hear the news before she started to walk calmly trying to not let her emotions control her once more, but that eagerness wasn't going away the closer she got to the ops room hearing Cyborg typing away trying to keep the files in order of how he found them hearing her come in. The sound of the others filing in made her guess that they weren't too far away from the tower when they heard his call looking up towards the screen on the window seeing the wallpaper on her phone being a basic color with some sort of business logo on it, but she wasn't curious about it right now she wanted answers.

"Okay I've been trying to remove the SD card from the phone, but whatever smashed her cell caused the SD card to be jammed into the slot. So I moved onto trying to hook her phone up to the computer to see if I could reverse the transmission from the cracked screen to the monitor." Cyborg spoke calmly though he seemed to be quite proud of what he had done continuing on. "When I was looking through her files it was easy to tell that Nightingale might have been a bit paranoid or she's ran into a lot of threats cause there is a software that records every call, but there is a time limit on how long the recording stays…I found one from the night she ran off." He quickly pressed a few more keys the voices ringing through the speakers on the computer coming out loud and clear.

' _Hey I was about to call you I need to talk to-.'_ Nightingale's voice came through first sounding nervous and relieved at the same time to be talking to the person on the other end. An odd sensation of relief fluttered into Raven's mind hearing her voice once again, but that unknown feeling from earlier soon swelled in her chest at the thought of getting a chance to see her again…she bit her lip ignoring those thoughts listening to the recordings further.

' _Why haven't you been answering?! James is missing while you're off playing fucking hero!'_ the other person on the end of the line seemed to be angry and her voice was horse, but the hiccups ringing through the speakers showed that the girl on the other end had been crying for who knows how long before her ragged voice continued trying to speak through her sobs. _'I've been calling you over and over again hell I even tried to send messages, but haha silly me a blind person can't fucking type!'_

' _Wait calm down and take deep breaths Misty…James is gone how like you have a link with him and everything are you sure he just didn-.'_ Nightingale's voice sounded curious and worried at the proposition that this James person was missing, but she seemed to try and play it off. The cloaked haired heroine heard the mention of a link…so maybe this Misty was the individual who had given her the items that were found in her room.

' _Oh yes it's such a coincidence that he goes missing once I hear news that she got out of jail on good behavior…Celine? Are you listening to-.'_ the sound of something being crushed covered the rest of Misty's response with the noise causing the speakers to reach terribly making a screech sound before it finally cut off thanks to Cyborg stopping the recording. So all they had was a recording to go on about her whereabouts…James could be anywhere across the country and so could Nightingale at this point.

"That was the end of the recording and it looks like Nightingale crushed her phone, but the call wasn't the reason. After I took a listen to the audio the first time I noticed an email had been unopened in her mailbox and curiosity got the best of me…I wish it hadn't." Cyborg responded a grimace covering his face bringing up the email for all of them to read the others soon adapting the same reaction he had the first time reading it.

 _Hello again my sinful little heroine~ you know who this is and I just thought I would inform you about a certain friend of yours that's missing although that pink haired bitch probably already informed you about it oh well~ You better come find me and I promise it will be worth your wild and…don't bring those pesky titans okay? They might learn some things about you that you might not what them to know. Tata for now sweetie pie~_

 _-S_

"I know I was disturbed by it as well. It seems like this James guy is important to Nightingale, but the person sending this message may be trying to act sweet though its plain for anyone to see that this S individual is nuts." Cyborg let out a small sigh turning towards the others before bringing up another email. "This came maybe an twenty minutes before it had nothing threatening in it just a location and an address to follow. Look…whatever Nightingale is dealing with we need to be there and she need our help because I don't think this is going to end well."

A silent agreement went through each titans mind before they started to head towards the area already fearing the worst had happened…oh how right they were.

 _Minutes before Cyborg received the last email_

Nightingale jumped across a building her silhouette being illuminated by what little sunlight that still lingered in the skyline checking the tracker once she skidded across the roof kicking up specks of asphalt while doing so seeing she was getting much closer to her moving target. She frowned a bit noting the area he was heading towards was one of the areas he hadn't checked in the city…the warehouse district might have been an amateur way of hiding, but she wouldn't put it against JD much less _**her**_ if she was being honest with herself. The closer she got to the district the more the sudden sickness started to plague her mind what was she going to do if she really was in the city? Arrest her, but she was cleared supposedly of any wrong doings in Gotham and the only thing she really did was help JD escape from prison so there had to be something that could hold her in prison this time…a sudden shiver made her stop in her tracks spotting it standing in her way for a moment and personally she didn't want to hear anything it had to say.

"Look I did things the way you wanted so leave me alone. She needs to-."

' _Oh yes I agree she deserves to rot in prison and the pits of Hades for what she did to you, but we are going at this wrong…just contact the Titans please they need to be there if we lose it._ ' it replied back cutting her off giving her an angered glare at first before it started to soften at the mentioning of the titans. Nightingale looked away from her double seeing its mood change once more. ' _Kid I am not going to fuck around the bush here. I made a deal with your mother that no harm would ever come to you and I meant it! That girl does not need to take any more time from you and I am not going to be able to stop myself if I…_ ' it looked towards the ground an angered tsk noise left its throat while it was struggling right now to even say what it was wanting to say. ' _If I get control there is no telling what will happen. If the Titans know everything beforehand then we won't have a guilty conscience and I won't…_ '

"We…I won't lose it I promise. You just stand by and watch okay I can handle Eris on my own…I can handle her and JD on my own. James will be on the next flight out of here by morning I swear to you." Nightingale's azure eyes shone the confidence she was trying to create, but it could tell that this was all going to be difficult for both of them. It let out a soft sigh before disappearing knowing that it wasn't going to win this time giving her the chance to move forward once more to her target looking down at the dot seeing that it had moved further away. She took in a deep breath before running again jumping down once more seeing the buildings starting to change into the half circle warehouses that were scattered near the outside of the city reminding her of the ones that scattered parts of Gotham…now she didn't feel so confident about this. She hit the ground and swallowed hard moving between each building hearing the tracker starting to beep louder and louder the closer she got to the back of the lot…good she was finally going to comfort whoever had James and beat them to a pulp if she had to. She carefully snuck around turning the tracker off hearing talking from one of the buildings echoing off the bent pieces of mental…someone was terrified of the person they were speaking to leaning carefully against the side of the building she had honed in on she could hear bits of the muffled voices conversation, but it soon ended with a loud bang though thankfully it wasn't a gunshot more of a body being thrown against a wall.

Nightingale continued to move around the building hearing the voices soon turn to shouting mixed with the sound of someone running away from another person in the building who was screaming at the top of their lungs the sound of their voice echoing off the sheet metal. The sound of a door hitting against the metal echoed in her mind making her teeth grind for a second watching the man from the alley stumbling out of the warehouse pleading for his life while the familiar sound of JD's voice filtered into her head giving her a good hunch this was the right place to be. It idiot left the door open giving her an easy way inside watching him run after the dealer hoping the man at least got a decent head start before sneaking into the warehouse being swallowed by the darkness with the door closing behind her…something didn't feel right. She soon ignored her feelings hearing the sound of a spotlight kicking on behind her turning quickly on her heels spotting a figure slumped in a chair though the familiar tuff of brown hair made her rush forward throwing away the feeling that something wasn't right out the window.

"James! Oh my god I'm glad I found you I-." She stopped herself spotting that he seemed unharmed and wasn't even tied down to the chair…her eyes widened when she started to back away seeing him jerk to sit back up the familiar blue-green coloring of his eyes were clouded over and his clothes looked pristine. "Shi-."

She was unable to finish before ducking out of the way quickly seeing that his hands had changed into large mental blades…or had they been like that since she entered the building. First she reached for her kukris though she soon thought against it rolling away once more pulling out her staff ready to defend since hurting him was the last thing on her mind. The warehouse soon started to light up even more revealing the inside had been cleaned aside from a few boxes that scattered the area…she didn't want to guess what was in them. James stayed put for the moment letting her take in that he was truly unharmed meaning he wasn't the target that Eris wanted making her look around trying to find out where the girl could be only to hear a slow and casual clap coming from behind one of the stacks of boxes turning quickly to see a familiar and unsettling person…someone she never wanted to see again. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders shining with the specks of green glitter on her grey top making Nightingale sick at the color combination and looking away from her taken by a bit of surprise by how tight her costume was on her…no stop it she wasn't going to get looped into her trap once more never again. Hazel eyes watched her full of mischief and malice towards the black-haired girl while a lopsided smirk appeared on her pale features moving towards the back of the warehouse making Nightingale take in that there was a chair there well more like a fancy cushion chair that you would see some evil villain sitting in.

"Celine darling dearest! Or is it Nightingale now I can't remember. It's sooo good to see you again my you haven't changed since the first time I met you…hm maybe you've grown taller and aren't stuck in a wheelchair anymore, but from what I heard around the grape vine was you were a hero once again~" her voice sounded so chipper it hurt, but the underlying malice laced into her words was enough to tell that there was anger towards her.

"Eris." Nightingale hissed the name out like poison toward the girl whose smile grew bigger on her face at being recognized. "The last I heard about you was that they still had you in juvenile hall dealing with therapy at Arkham."

"Oh I could say that you needed the therapy more than I did, but yeah they let me out on good behavior thought~ Hm all I had to do was just a quick touch of the hand and get cozy with the juvenile director to get my sentence written off." Her smirk soon changed to a low frown glaring towards the heroine. "And darling it's not Eris anymore…no I go by Siren now, but I would love to hear you call me mistress again just of old time sake."

"Like hell that will ever happen!" She growled towards her feeling it shuttering awake inside of her…no not now. Nightingale tried to calm down, but this was starting to infuriate her. "Release James before I make you Eris I am not playing your sick games anymore and I never will. And stop calling me Celine!"

"Awe Celine darling it's your name…such a pretty one too much better than mine. How has Misty been by the way I do miss my dear sister you know, but again I don't think she would enjoy seeing me." A giggle escaped from Siren's throat that soon turned into a sickening cackle at her own joke…Nightingale wasn't laughing with her azure eyes narrowing towards her. "Oh that was a good one not like she can see any more thanks to you dearest."

That struck a nerve making Nightingale's body tense up moving across the warehouse with an inhuman amount of speed the place where she had been standing now had a small dent where her foot had pushed her forward with the concrete below taking the impact hurling herself towards Siren already being tired of hearing her…this ends now. She saw the girl give her a quick smirk before a blur of brown and grey soon got between the two of them with James's dead eyes staring at her blocking the attack with the sharp metal arms that he had acquired slamming her staff against them hearing the metal on metal contact create a horrendous noise that echoed through the building. She tried her hardest to keep equal pressure between the two of them, but she could already hear her staff wanting to snap under the sudden tension feeling herself already losing when she slipped only for a fraction of a second though it was enough to throw her back slamming into one of the piles of boxes wood splintering around her while she tried controlling the impact. She carefully got herself out of the rubble that was created seeing James hadn't moved from the spot in front of Siren a low tsk noise escaped from her throat while her eyes slowly started to change to the haunting purple making an excited noise escape from the blonde haired girl's throat.

"This is so exciting two supposed best friends fighting over me it's so romantic." Siren commented making a shutter go through Nightingale's body though she could also see one visibly going through James…meaning he was still at least somewhat conscious through the whole ordeal.

Her eyes slowly drifted back to azure once more putting away her staff not wanting to move towards her batons, but she had little choice. If only she could get a quick shock to his system she could get him out from under Siren's thumb…her attention was once drawn on him once more seeing him move across the room towards her at a fast pace already upon her before she could even pull the batons out. The flat part of his bladed arm slammed into her from the side throwing her across the room once more causing her to tumble a bit her batons flying out of their pouch towards the large garage door her back hitting against the sheet metal the air leaving her lungs quickly before coming back with a low hiss escaping from between her teeth. She watched him out of her blurry eyes reaching down and touching the concrete watching the metal fade from his arms to be replaced by the rocky substance. This was starting to tick her off right now her teeth once again grinding together with her eyes glowing purple once more looking over to where the batons were purple flames licking across her arms an inhuman snarl left her throat rushing forward towards James ready to enact her plan reaching her left hand down into a pouch picking up two of the smoke bombs from hurling them towards the man before her the explosives making contact with grey smoke billowing through the building. Her ears rung at being so close to the impact, but that didn't matter her hand held itself out towards where he had been last thorny vines soon started to snake out of her palm shooting towards him ensnaring the mind controlled idiot.

She had to end this quickly hearing it pipe up in her mind that she was running out of time breaking the vines she had made with a flick of her wrist before shooting off towards the shock batons that were still near the door tumbling out of the smoke that was already dissipating. She rolled picking them up with ease seeing that the simple trap had worked watching James struggling to get out or even trying to absorb whatever material the vines were made of, but he knew better that it wasn't even possible to do a small smirk traveling across her face charging the batons getting his attention to be drawn towards her watching him lumber over towards her location. Her feet moved once more another few cracks appearing in the floor with every few steps she took towards him slamming the prongs into the vines watching him wince at them piercing his skin before charging them up…though it wasn't enough to really kill him. His body shuttered and shook from the shock that was traveling through his system while she watched his blue green eyes slowly starting to come alive once more, but the scream that escaped from his mouth signaled that it was time for her to stop. He fluttered to the floor with a loud thud making her sigh in relief that it was over turning towards where Siren had still been standing, but the smirk on her face hadn't disappeared…Nightingale's eyes widened at the item she was holding in her hand seeing a smoke grenade with the pin already pulled though the words that she could see were enough to make the fear soon switch to it screaming that they should run, but she couldn't move the only thing she could do was hurl James at the door hearing his heavy body smash through it knowing it was almost too late hearing the device clatter to the floor releasing a mixture of red and green tinted smoke filling the air around her.

Nightingale knew too well what this was in the air feeling it already entering her lungs causing her to choke and cough not wanting to deal with what was going to come. The fear toxin* started to fill the air around her making her coughing worse the more she tried to suck in any of the air around her, but it was already too late visions started to enter her line of site…though there was something different about the batch she as using…was there trauma toxin** as well? Feeling started forming in parts of her body that she never wanted to feel ever again…the smell of another human's sweat dripping onto her and the sound of heavy breathing entered her ears making her want to cover them. She shut her eyes wanting to block out everything hearing it trying to calm her down saying it wasn't real…it had been real once. The memories started to flood into her mind the sensation of tears forming in her eyes being unable to stop them from falling. The sensation of something going inside of her making her shutter in disgust…fighting them off of her only to lose the battle since they over powered her…kicking screaming at the top of her lungs for it to stop only to hear someone chuckling in the background her body soon wanting to give up with hope fading from her mind of anyone being able to save her.

Her azure eyes opened tears spilling down her face while a pained cry escaped from her throat feeling something slam into her stomach making her cough and sputter being thrown once more across the building her batons clattering to the floor before being crushed underneath someone's foot. She breathed in more of the toxin causing more visions to flutter into her mind it's voice fading further away making her slowly start to feel lost like a child without it chiding in her ear. She looked up to see a dark figure looming over her a kitchen knife glittering in their hand stained red with her blood making her look down towards her stomach watching the puncture wounds appearing out of thin air. the knife was coming closer to her once more making her brace for impact, but a woman screaming no echoed in her brain making it scream at the top of it's own lungs the words racing past Nightingale's lips knowing that she wasn't in control anymore.

" **Diana no!** " the voice coming out of Nightingale's mouth sounded inhuman…demonic in the air with a snarl hanging on the back of it making her push off the ground tackling the person before her to the ground, but they were fighting to get out of her grasp. A hard punch to the face was enough to knock her away towards where the person who got in the way the color draining from her body with her lip quivering at the sight purple eyes burning brightly through the hot tears streaming down her cheeks once again curling up on her knees. A scream escaped from her throat her mind finally shattered at the assault being pressured on it the sound of utter despair and pain echoed through the building and outside it drawing the attention of the Titans who had been closing in on the location, but Raven moved the quickest hearing Nightingale's cry almost broke her…and made her enraged at whoever was harming her.

Robin stopped her in her tracks point towards the smoke that was billowing out of the building knowing all too well what Nightingale might be going through. A man lied a near the door being unaffected by the toxin that was seeping out since he had been knocked unconscious wrapped up in a thick sort of thorny vine holding his arms in place. The boy wonder reached into one of his pouches pulling out a few oddly colored smoke bombs that seemed to be almost clear inside hurling them towards the gaping hole in the door hearing them explode on the other side making a wisp of clear smoke leaking out of the building taking over the fear toxin trying to make it dissipate completely from the air. Nightingale's sobs could still be heard from inside, but it was unsure of who or what was in the building making Robin curse under his breath unable to do anything moving closer with the others hearing another female's voice enter through the air.

"Oh sweetie it wasn't so bad you know. If I remember correctly you enjoyed trying to please me huh? All those guys you had fun with…though I don't think you could really feel anything could you?" the other person's voice sounded sickly sweet with the venom dripping from every word that was coming out of their mouth. Raven felt a sinking sensation of sickness at hearing those words…the whole team did with Starfire trying to hold in a gasp choking back a few tears that wanted to spill…what did she deserve to have that happen to her? The voice continued on. "I mean it was so cute hearing you scream to get me to make them stop only to let it happen anyways, but you were more obedient when I was in control."

" _Shut up!_ _Shut up and leave her alone damn it you've done enough and got your point across…please…just make it stop._ " A voice came through the air sounding partially broken, but trying to stay strong…it wasn't Nightingale's though. It was deeper, but had a motherly tone to it making the team confused though they were going to find out who was speaking slowly getting into the warehouse noticing the green and red smoke had left the air though even that felt stale trying to breathe it in. Raven felt her hand move up to her mouth seeing the black-haired heroine on her knees her body looking disheveled and defeated the voice once again spoke revealing it to be coming from Nightingale who lifted up her head towards the girl sitting at a throne please with herself her hazel eyes seeming to glow with pride.

"Oooh so is the Thorn Maiden*** going to show herself tonight?" A dark smirk traveled across her face once more the next words making her blood boil even further. "Or has the demonic beastie finally gone soft since her only heir can't even control her own fears so she has to take care of her mess? And who said I was finished with her the guests of honor have arrived."

Nightingale turned her head towards where Siren was looking spotting the Titans there watching her in this broken state. Her eyes were slowly starting to seep with the blackness taking over the whites of her eyes shaky breaths revealed sharp teeth trying to bare a knowing smile, but even that was hard to muster knowing that she had to get them out of here before Siren did something to them though her body wouldn't move. She could feel herself standing to her feet making her take in the sensation knowing fully well that it was in control and that was going to be hard to get back feeling it wipe something off her face only to sense her muscles moving into a smirk.

" _Wrong name bitch, but good try taking a shot at my name. Seems like she didn't share everything with you now did she?_ " The motherly voice leaving her mouth sneered towards the girl on the throne looking around spotting the goons that were starting to file into the room, but JD was nowhere to be seen. She was soon taken by surprised by someone grabbing her from behind wrapping an arm tightly around her neck with super human strength trying to crush her throat making her look up seeing JD's green eyes staring down at her with a smirk. She tried to struggle she did, but the more she heard Siren speak the more she knew that it wasn't going to go the way she wanted.

"Oh you think that I care about what your true name is Thorn Maiden? No the reason I say why I wasn't done with her was because I wanted to have the Titans hear about the real reason why she came to this dump of a city." Siren's serious tone echoed through the room the titans taking in that they were being surrounded ready to attack and protect their team member, but their resolve was about to be tested. "I mean being told by the Batman himself to spy on his former protégé and his stupid team must have been a dumbass assignment for such a great information broker to deal with. It should have been an easy in and out job, but it seems like you wanted to get more information from the source oh! Celine you sneaky little girl~ "

The team was slightly taken aback by the revelation looking toward their struggling teammate seeing her slowly start to stop struggling looking at their faces with pain filling her eyes seeing each member seeming to show a different type of grief or disbelief towards these faces…their voice held it all.

"Dude that's not cool…"

"But friend Nightingale wouldn't do such a thing."

"And I thought Robin's little stunt was the worst thing to happen."

The only two members of the team who didn't voice their opinions were Raven and Robin staring at the girl their faces mixed with hurt and betrayal, but Raven's was the worse out of the two the sudden sound of many people speaking in her mind entered once more hearing all of them whisper about deceit and how they knew she couldn't have been trusted…Nightingale couldn't take it anymore pushing past it to take control once more her breath sounding shaky hearing Siren start up once more a cold laughter leaving her throat.

"Oh that's so rich! They must have really trusted you right? I'm betting you didn't even tell them that you were a demon right?" she took the shock from the few teammates faces as enough of an answer her voice soon howling with laughter. "My God you didn't even tell them that some trusted teammate you are! They possibly don't even know you don't even have control over yourself do they?"

"Shut up…j-just stop it I can't…" Nightingale spoke softly her voice sounding broken none of her confidence and boldness was seeping through anymore tears traveling down from her eyes looking towards the team knowing what she was going to have to do…and it killed her inside just thinking about it. She felt JD loosen his grip around her neck making her crumple to the floor defeated once again her mind slowly going numb the words leaving her mouth. "I-I…I'll do whatever you want me to do just please…leave them out of this…"

"Oh that's so simple of a request…I want you to be mine again. Now there will be no chance of you escaping since your little friends won't want to come to your rescue…too bad for you." Siren responded getting up from her chair Starfire wanting to move forward and to protect Nightingale, but something wrapped around her leg keeping her in place seeing a thorny vine wrapped around her ankle. Raven was fighting the urge to rush over to save her, but her emotions were over running her once again so she was trying to deal with the possibility that one of them was going to over flow the others though the one that won was an emotion she had never felt before…her chest ached seeing the girl she had started to become so attached to a broken and defeated mess. Sure she was angry at Nightingale for what she had done, but she didn't even ask anything personal nor did she ever seem to be cataloging their fights. The cloaked girl wanted to move forward to try and stop it all not knowing what this girl was capable of, but she soon felt something wrap around her waist seeing a black vine around it holding her back. She looked over towards the others seeing that they were being held back as well struggling to get free, but the none of them were able to move from their spots seeing her lift up one of her hands revealing the vines snapping away from her palm and stopping at a puncture mark created in the concrete.

JD slowly brought Nightingale to her feet the girl barely wanting to stand in the first place looking into the hazel eyes in front of her fighting the urge to look away. Her azure eyes glanced over to the Titans seeing her vines wrapped around them keeping them from changing their minds to try and save her…good, they were safe. Her she mouthed "I'm sorry" towards the group tearing her gaze away with tears spilling out of her eyes once again looking back into those hazel eyes she despised so much. "Just…get it over with Siren…please.

"I promise it will only hurt just once…well I mean a kiss will possibly make it a much stronger connection." Siren purred towards her with a shutter running through Nightingale's body though she wanted to protest she felt a pair of cold lips placed onto hers…the smell of lemons slowly started to choke her last thought as a free individual was how much she hated the scent of the sour citrus. Her eyes slowly started to change from their brilliant shining azure to a dullness Siren slowly pulling away seeing that she was in full control once again a giggle started to escape from her throat clapping her hands together earning now warranted response from the black haired heroine aside from a blank look. "Perfect my little doll is back in my control once again…now I can do something I've wanted to do since you entered this warehouse."

Raven flinched watching the girl slap Nightingale across the face hard making her head turn and the heroine stumbling back caused rage to slowly build inside her wanting to go after her, but a low motherly voice entered her mind telling her it was going to be alright making her be taken aback seeing an image of the demon from earlier appearing in her mind slowly shifting into the thing that was usually hanging around Nightingale…meaning that the girl was right she is a demon, but nothing she had ever seen before. She was brought back soon noticing Nightingale had somehow been forced to the floor the girl pushing her head down into a bow with the flat shoes she was wearing a malice grin traveling across her face before turning to the titans letting the black haired heroine slowly get up her eyes unemotional.

"Hm I hate to go Titans, but I have some catching up to do with my cute little demon here…JD have your men take care of them once we are gone." She turned on her heel towards the girl once more her grin not disappearing any time soon. "Now my sweetie show them what beautiful wings you have."

She only gave off a small nod looking up towards the skylight seeing that the moonlight was still present trying to snake through the artificial light around them. Slowly she took in a deep breath stretching her arms out from her sides before bending over the sudden sensation of pain crossing her features remained for a moment with the sound of fabric tearing away Raven holding in a breath watching what was happening before her in awe. Black wings stretched out from her back measuring at a decent eighteen feet revealing that they weren't truly black at all the coloring slowly shifted down to a lighter color the further your eyes traveled finally changing to white half way down the layers of feathers. Small little feathers slowly started to molt off like she hadn't brought them out in a long time which was true, but Raven oddly enough couldn't take her eyes away from the stunning person before her…no she had to snap out of it Nightingale needed their help making her try to struggle again to see the heroine pick up the other girl like she was nothing bending down preparing to lift them both out of the area. Soon in a burst of air the two were gone leaving the Titans alone with JD and his thugs though the vines were slowly starting to loosen around them getting ready to fight, but they were soon taken aback by symbols appearing on the floor before them rune like in nature making their steps falter for a moment though that triggered them off the floor exploding in front of them creating dust and rubble in the air a female's voice shouting out to them.

"Run I don't know how long it will be before they are on out tail!" the titans moved quickly rushing out of the warehouse that was slowly starting to crumble not noticing the man that had been lying near the building had possibly moved. The group traveled past a few more warehouses before watching an arm waving trying to get their attention drawing them closer into a place between the buildings hearing JD shouting for the men to try and find the titans. All of them were taking deep breaths trying to get over what had just happened hearing the voice from earlier speak up once more sounded out of breath just the same as them. "That was close…luckily I was able to finally locate James or we all would have been in deep shit. Where is Celine?"

All of the titans turned towards the girl that was speaking focusing on her bright pink hair before moving towards her actual features. Her eyes were covered by a pair of circular glasses tinted black made with a wired frame like something Ozzy Osborne would wear showing a relieved smile on her heart shaped face though her body frame was almost similar to the girl from the warehouse, but her clothes were defiantly different. She wore a bomber jacket covered in random patches from different bands and icons from TV shows with a loose band t-shirt hung off her frame while a torn pair of jeans and black sneakers finished off the look. Raven picked up the smell of caramel lingering off the girl, but she soon turned her head away from the person girl her mind wandering back to Nightingale knowing that she had failed her…they all had failed her. The mention of the name Celine made all the titans look towards each other with worried glances wondering who was going to be the one to tell this girl that Nightingale had done something that they all wish they had stopped. Robin looked towards her finally wearing a somber expression before he began to speak, but a male voice interrupted him.

"Misty we have to move. They are getting close to where we are hiding and I seriously don't want to fight right now…if the Titans have a place we can hide we better move that way." The guy who was on the ground earlier unconscious seemed to be up his blue-green eyes seeming to glow with worry and the smell of a burn apple warped through the air. His plain shirt showed signs of being burnt with the possibility he had gotten stabbed by Nightingale's batons. "Trust me I don't know how Eris is controlling all these thugs, but it's really not going to be good if they find use like this your runes and seals can only last for so long."

"James we will be fine I promise I really want to know where Celine is because I sensed her and then poof she was gone!" Misty commented using her hands to talk and her voice coming out calmly.

"We'll take you to the tower…and we'll explain everything I don't think you are going to like what we have to say." Robin spoke up signaling Raven to open a portal to the tower knowing it was going to take a while to get there…it would give him enough time to figure out how he was going to explain to both of them that they just stood there while Nightingale sacrificed herself to keep them safe, but from what he didn't know. Misty and James looked at each other…both soon being filled with the sinking feeling that something bad had happened and how right they were.

* * *

 **OKAY ITS, ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER PLEASE DON'T KILL ME DAMN IT.**

 **I already hurt enough from hurting my baby…poor Nightingale I'm sorry…don't worry everything will be explained, but just bear with me because this chapter took a lot out of me. I hope you guys understand that the next chapter might take a while…but if you have questions please ask them. Tumblr or here is fine…now for fun terminology to help you understand.**

 **fear toxin*: It's the stuff Scarecrow uses and it's some nasty stuff too. Makes your darkest fears and nightmares come to reality before your eyes and it just breaks you down. It's usually handled by him alone, but there have been a few instances where others have gotten their hands on it like Siren did.**

 **Trauma toxin**: makes you relive the feelings and sensations you suffered from a traumatic event though this was used more in the comics than in any of the animated shows I had seen. You can look it up to learn more about it, but it's a strain of Fear Toxin that is just as terrifying as the original stuff itself.**

 **The Thorn Maiden: That…well a bit of a spoiler, but that is the thing that is inside of Nightingale well really it is what she is descended from and that's going to be delved a lot deeper in chapter sixteen I promise you. Let's just say the image Raven saw was it's true form and the thorns are well warranted on those vines.**

 **Okay if you are still confused I'm sorry, but I can't give away much and next chapter is going to be…interesting. Also the vines are very hard for Nightingale to summon sometimes so she rarely uses the power in the first place more relying on her own fighting experience, the flames she can produce and her speed along with supernatural strength though when she and the Thorn Maiden are in agreement she can use her powers a lot better, but she still has restrictions…that restriction will be revealed in the next two chapters sooo…stay tuned? Sorry again for the cliff hanger please don't kill me.**

 **Haha to be honest with you all it kinda hurt breaking her like that…making her go through that shit once more and being ensnared in Siren/ Eris's clutches once again…their story will be explained a little more in detail again next chapter so sorry you might have to wait.**

 **Um anyways Anri out and please PM or message me. Leave a review of what you thought.**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Heeeey so like…welcome to Hell. Kidding it's just another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **, but it's not hellish to be honest with you I just…god these are emotionally draining to write lol. This is all coming from my brain so the conversations play out in my head making me feel like I'm in a crowded room of people speaking…haha anxiety and paranoia aren't great. Well I mean** _ **Paranoia Agent**_ **is a fantastic anime and I suggest you watch it for all the mind fucks that happen though this isn't an anime suggestion thing it's the Authors note. Sooo…Nightingale is under mind control by Siren and Misty is quite possibly going to be in a pissing match with Robin because they couldn't break out of measly magical vines to save their friend…I mean they really couldn't honestly that shit if she concentrates can be as strong as steel, but I digress because Misty thinks she knows best…no wait that isn't the right way of saying that fuuuuuuck just…ignore this.**

 **Anyways this chapter is called** _ **Control**_ **…yes like the song** _ **Halsey**_ **sings I suggest you listen to it while you are reading this at some point. Now I don't want to spoil a lot that happens in the chapter so again the summary will be brief. The Titans and their new friends must now try and track down Nightingale and Siren before the latter decides to escape with our dashing black-haired heroine who is in despite need to be saved from her selfless act of taking on the dangerous task of being mind controlled once again which is something she never wanted to happen again. Yeah…if you didn't pick up from the images on the fear and trauma toxin concoction (Hey that rhymed) Siren made her go through some fucked up stuff. Also you are going to get a bit more information on Nightingale's past and what her affinity was with Siren, but again that kinda is a bit obvious if you didn't pick it up last chapter no worries your answer will be here this time. Also this chapter might be really dialogue heavy so please don't mind all the conversations and story building that is going to happen.**

 **Also like I saw a review where someone was really wanting this chapter to happen and I like felt happy inside because they said they have been reading this since Chapter One…reading that made me feel giddy to write this chapter and gave me a bit of a boost. And yes you have been noticed, so hi and I appreciate your review. I just…haha its weird feeling pride towards my work you know? Knowing that people are actively reading and like what I am creating is like a highlight I enjoy every time I even think of another chapter I always wonder how you guys will enjoy it or…you know just in general how I'll feel about it all afterwards. Again I love seeing that people from a lot of different places I wish I could see reading my measly fanfiction.**

 ***coughs* sorry I got really teary eyed writing that and just…god y'all are kinda sweet reading my little old fanfiction like even before this got put up it went through three different revisions. I was just never happy with what I was writing and hell Nightingale went through her changes as well like I actually had her as a werewolf and a villain before I finally settled on what she is now I mean the villain one would have been cool though I would have been pulling all the chapters from my head and god my brain just needs a break from stuff like that so thank god for episode chapters.**

 **Oh hey another trigger warning since I am diving into serious things again such as abuse for the beating kind and well…haha the other kind that isn't good either.**

 **SPEAKING OF EPISODE CHAPTERS. Ow fuck my throat. No wait that's not dirty stop laughing.**

 **I will start diving into season two of the animated series soon after chapter sixteen so yup! Chapter Seventeen will be** _ **How Long is Forever?**_ **Yah so moving from emotional plot stuff to the future where the titans aren't together anymore and…well I mean yeah you know the drill though it will be a nice break from regular chapters I promise. Also was talking with a friend/person I met through this story actually and we got to talking about the story. I told them that I always see Nightingale singing** _ **I Won't Say (I'm in Love)**_ **and was told to defiantly make that a chapter at some point so look forward to that one cause…it gonna be fun reveals no? Also hey Rizzlesmyiles hope you like this chapter please don't hate me for all the cliffhangers I apologize profusely to you and will continue to do so.**

 **Haha so um onto the disclaimer I guess.**

 **Disclaimer: Again I don't own the Teen Titans and I just own the characters and Nightingale's origins and the side plots for the regular chapters.**

 **Any who on with this chapter hope y'all enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: Control**

It was morning once more when the Titans and their guests arrived back at the tower too quiet to even speak to them along the way, but Misty seemed to show signs that she was nervous since she seemed to try and get at least a conversation out of the team though that usually came off with a one answered response so the pink haired girl started to keep her mouth shut until they had arrived at the doors to the large "T" shaped building. A low whistle came from her companion nudging her for a second trying to get her attention, but his expression soon changed to embarrassment scratching the back of his head hoping to cover up his slip up though she noticed. Raven glanced back at the two of them wondering how close they were to Nightingale along with trying to deal with how to tell them the news about what had happened. A twinge of pain hit through her chest…thinking about her was enough to cause it even though the memory was fresh in her mind seeing her being taken over. A sense of anger rose inside of her seeing the other girl planting a kiss on her lips, but was soon confused…wait was she jealous? Raven tried to fight off a groan not wanting to deal with those emotions not right now at least a possible trip to Nevermore was in the future though she happened to be a bit more worried about getting Nightingale back. She soon noticed that they all had entered into the ops room making her wonder how long she had been lost in her own thoughts the others had started to take their seats while the two new companions strolled in weary looking around she thought she heard the girl mutter something about the technology in the walls was blocking her from seeing making her curiosity peak a bit.

Raven sat away from the group not wanting to crowd the couch spotting the two guests continuing to walk slowly across the room hearing Robin clear his throat to get their attention rotating the computer chair around so at least one of them could sit. The guy…no he had a name it was James if she was remembering correctly tugged on Misty's jacket getting her attention and walking her towards the chair and helping her sit down with a smile of gratitude turned towards him before her attention snapped to the titans before her. The girl casually crossed one leg over the other leaning her head onto her hand giving the team in front of her…well she hoped they were in front of her sensing another one across the room…damn why was it so hard to sense these people's emotions maybe it was because of all the technology around them? No matter she didn't really care at the moment…she just wanted to know where Celine was. James didn't decide to sit on the couch leaning against the glass paneling looking out towards the group as well giving more of a pressure to know what happened though honestly the sudden feeling of being scolded at was starting to rise though the girl seemed to still be showing patience towards them.

Misty sat there waiting patiently for an answer, but none of the titans seemed to be able to give her a straight one…for one they weren't even speaking to her so there was no way for her to even obtain one. None of them seemed to notice the small green tint behind her glasses that was slowly building focusing on each member trying to see if she could pick up whatever it was that happened last night, but all she was getting was possible chances of shock and betrayal…along with an urge to help though with what exactly she seemed to be at a loss of understanding. The sudden tension that filled the air could have been cut by a knife, but Misty didn't really care at the moment she needed to ease it to get her answers because there might be a possibility that Celine might be in trouble…no wait what was her superhero name…Nightingale if she remember correctly. She uncrossed her legs trying to approach it a different way by trying to not seem so guarded, but not being able to see what she looked like what a disadvantage…she really shouldn't have had Ashley dress her today the girl barely had any fashion sense let alone common sense no wait her brain was getting off topic start off with an introduction then move on from there.

"Sorry I feel as if I was being a bit rude. My name is Misty Haywood and that's my partner James we are friends of Nightingale's who are just concerned on why she wasn't with you guys when we were leaving those warehouses." She asked casually seeing them relax a bit though the tension was still there. The supposed leader who wore traffic light colors for his costume stood up onto his feet ready to give her an explanation finally.

"Nightingale went missing a few nights ago and we have been looking for her nonstop since then. We finally were able to get a lead on a location from a villain who seemed to be taunting her over email on her damaged phone." He explained trying to also avoid the fact that they also listened to the recording system on her device, but that was something that would be really hard to explain. "After getting to the warehouse however…we ran into a problem. Fear toxin was leaking out of a broken door where your partner was passed out on the ground wrapped in vines and genuine screams of pain were coming out of the building. When I was able to clear out the air of the toxin the villain was already taunting her and…we found out that she had been collecting information on us to send to Batman and what she really is…"

He stopped talking for a moment hearing a small chuckle leave the pink-haired girl's throat taking him aback for a second trying to think of how he would handle the explaining the rest of the events still trying to get over the fact that Nightingale had lied to him…it was still a surprise knowing that she had been sending information on his team to Batman. He clenched his hands into fists for a moment noticing the girl had turned her head in a curious manner towards him how could she even see in those glasses honestly they were almost dark enough to even look her in the eyes though he took in the green tint forming around the edges what was this girl? Robin took in a deep breath remembering where he left off at when he spoke last memories flashing in his mind of seeing her that broken…should he be angry at her for what she had done or upset to see her in such a state?

"After hearing what the villain had to say Nightingale seemed to be holding us back with vines trying to stop us from interfering. Then…she was taken over by something the villain kissed her and she just became unresponsive only reacting to the commands give to her by the-." He heard the laughter once more assault his ears looking towards her to see that she was looking over towards James who didn't seem the slightest amused by his story. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing is funny I'm just laughing because every time she mentioned you guys she just gushed about how awesome you were." Her reply made her squirm a bit in her seat seeming to be uncomfortable by her own response glancing down sensing a broken piece of technology with Celine's energy signature on the coffee table confirming her suspicions that she had heard the phone being crushed on the other end, but a villain taunting her caused it? That is what was truly stupid to hear since the Celine she knew could put the fear in any board members eyes at the thought of making Blackwater Industries into a military weapons company let alone the times she almost scared the piss out of someone she was trying to get information on. Her foot started to tap impatiently against the floor looking to the other members seeing that they were corroborating with the story that was told…though a few seemed to be taken aback by the mention that they were talked about well she could guess it was shocked faces since she couldn't…damn her inner monologuing. "Oh and those reports she sent to Batman that you seem to be oh so angry about? They barely contained anything to even remotely harm you or your team Boy Wonder, but honestly I am surprised that she didn't tell you that she sent one of our personal viruses to delete any information that was supposedly gathered on you."

"But why would she even do that in the first place she could have just given enough data to-." Robin was cut off once more by the girl the odd green hue coming from her eyes seemed to be glowing a bit more making him want to question what it was, but he couldn't hear his voice leave his mouth making a panicked look appear on his face.

"Don't panic you'll get your voice back once I am done explained her reasoning. Though I'm sure while you were tied up in her vines you possibly came to the realization yourself…any time she talked about you guys it was in high regards hell I even had James over there hack into her computer to hear what she was typing in the reports. They were even maybe two or three sentences near the end before she sent out the virus and personally she was complaining that he didn't need to know what you were up to and that he shouldn't be so butt hurt over losing his sidekick." She spoke calmly and collective seeming like she had control over the whole room for a second before snapping her fingers giving Robin at least a chance to take in a bit of fresh air into his mouth the green hue not leaving the frame of her glasses though her joking nature soon returned. "Now…this villain who were they? I personally am surprised that Nightingale would give herself up willingly to anyone so-."

"It was a villain we've never dealt with before dude so it was kinda hard to even do anything to her when these vine things were holding us back!" Beast boy retorted waving his arms around showing his own way of concern his face forming into a pout. "Seriously that Siren chick was so annoying her voice was waay to chipper trying to be sweet. I mean that JD guy was there, but-."

"Whoa wait up a second and take a quick back pedal for me on the first villain you said her name was Siren? Did she have long blonde hair, hazel eyes and is an inch shorter than I am with a smirk like she's always up to something?" Misty's tone changed quickly her partially joking nature had soon turned serious once more, but this time it didn't seem like the switch would kick back off anytime. "Because if it's the person I'm thinking about then we are done talking here. I have a friend I have to go save since you hero types failed at such a simple thing."

"Misty they tried you know how hard it is to break out of her vines much less if her and…it are working together." James imposed, but Misty had already gotten out of the chair ready to begin walking out of the tower wanting to escape from these heroes though she felt one of them move from the couch quickly standing in front of her…no wait they were floating.

"You cannot leave without the answers! Nightingale is our friend as well we must find her and save her from this bad person!" Starfire cried out towards the girl, but Misty held up her hand an unamused look crossing her features a sigh escaping from James lips knowing fully well that what might be coming out of her mouth…it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Oh you think you're her friends? Ha that almost actually made me laugh honey sweet of you, but no you aren't her friends. Far from it sure she talked highly of you though she's done that to a person before all of you." Misty bitterly responded back the green hue from behind her glasses started to burn brighter her eyes beneath the tinted glass seemed to be glaring up at the alien girl. "And that person is the one she just gave up everything to keep your little ragtag group from falling in her clutches once again. You don't know barely anything about what Nightingale is and much less what Eris did to her much less do you truly even care…James come on we are leaving."

Starfire almost tried to protest, but soon felt her body move involuntarily to the side seeing the girl's hand had started to glow green with an odd circular pattern swirling for a moment with tiny glyphs in each structure of the circles and other geometrical shapes that decided to form before it disappeared while Misty walked past ignoring each of the members protest hearing James's footsteps behind her making a guess he was giving an apologetic look towards these people…he was too sweet for his own good. She was almost half way across the room when another person stood in her way the one with a whirl of emotions pouring out of her that piqued her interest earlier had finally moved from their position to stand in her way this one wasn't going to be so easy to get rid of. Misty gave a slight disapproved look trying to use the same trick from earlier, but the sudden burst of black energy around her own was enough to make her frown grow.

"Another user huh? As interesting as this is I don't have time for any of your games right now so please…" Misty stayed calm, but the sudden burst of energy made a threatening aura enter the room though Raven wasn't going to back down so easily. Insulting them saying that they knew nothing about her hurt, but saying that they didn't care was enough to make her anger they all cared about her in their own way so she had no right to tell them that they didn't care. "Get out of my way before you turn things ugly."

"You don't have a right to say that we don't care about her. She has been there for all of us when we needed her." Raven commented her arms shaking with anger while one hand was generating her powers though she was slightly taken aback by the words even if they were true. "We are going to help find her whether y-?!"

Raven's voice was soon cut off not being able to speak just like Robin had suffered making her lose concentration on her own magic disabling the hold she had been trying to produce to at least protect her from any attacks that could happen. She watched the pink haired girl pulling her arm back green aura traveling across it ready to push her out of the way making towards the caped girl the sound of the others telling her to move and James's voice telling her to stop made Raven brace for impact closing her eyes waiting for whatever was going to happen. The sudden sound of a snarl entered her mind and soon echoed in the ops room the sound of shocked and surprised gasps enter the air her eyes slowly opening before widening in surprise at the thing before her. The thing that had been hanging around Nightingale was standing between her and Misty holding the other magic user's aura covered arm shaking at the weight of it the cloaked heroine wondering how much force could have been thrown her way though she glanced around more curious of where it came from since Nightingale wasn't even here. It pushed back against the raised arm that it was holding dispelling the green aura with purple flames and thorn covered vines creating a small shield like it was trying to absorb the energy without it turning into a disaster only to dispel it's own creations bending down to the ground holding it's abdomen a pained look traveling across its face and through the purple eyes that looked back towards the hooded heroine giving her a small smile before disappearing in a flutter of black specks. Misty's sudden face of shock soon transferred to rage her powers crackling once more at the sight of _**it**_ being here meant one of two things and the other was impossible since Celine wasn't anywhere near the building so that meant…she reached forwards without thinking grabbing Raven by her wrists making her hood fall off of her head her violet hair shifting slightly at the momentum of being pulled closer hearing the anger roll out of the other female's throat feeling the sensation to move her mouth again scared to take a breath.

"That was the Thorn Maiden how in Hades do you have a link to her? Did Nightingale make it or did that _**thing**_ do it?! Tell me now!" she yelled making a small scene the others moving from their positions quickly standing around the two ready to attack the pink haired girl if they had to since she had already tried to make an attack on their teammate. Raven was slightly stunned at seeing it again taking on Nightingale's form so she really couldn't give an answer much less understand what had happened the mention of a link wasn't what she wanted to hear since that meant Nightingale trusted her more than she thought making the feeling in her chest sprout once more with ache to see her again. Nothing was going to come out of it when the sensation of having someone place their arm on Misty's shoulder made her snap towards them sensing James's calming energy making the anger swelling in her slowly die down letting go of the empath before her.

"Misty calm down look she can't possibly give you the answer to that since she didn't even know that one was created. I know you want to go find Nightingale right now, but even we don't know where to being in this city since this is our first time here. Maybe if we gave a bit more information on what might happen and what happened in the past so possibly the Titans can help us find her faster?" James asked trying to keep a leveled and calm voice while he was trying to simmer down the situation since he personally didn't feel like fighting anyone at the moment really he wanted to find Nightingale and help her become free again. It was a long pause before the pink haired girl let out an annoyed sigh her energy soon spiking down along with the Titans lowering their weapons and fists though the green one didn't seem to confident. "Good…looks like the tension is down for now so while it is why don't we explain everything in the short amount of time we have?"

He started to walk her back to the computer chair getting wary looks from the other people in the room sitting her down quickly hearing her protest for a possible second before she caved her eyes moving towards where the Titans were standing seeming unconvinced that they were going to say anything. It was unavoidable now since James opened his stupid mouth sending a small glare towards him before a rough sigh escaped from her throat taking her glasses off slowly earning a sense of surprise from the team seeing her glazed over hazel eyes with old remnants of burn marks seen around her orbital sockets being more apparent now. The others were hesitant to sit down when the girl waved them over the displeased look on her face not changing, but they soon complied the faster they heard the information on what happened the faster they could get out there to find their friend in possible peril. Once everyone was seated Misty mulled it over in her mind trying to think of where to start first watching the cloaked heroine standing behind the couch still seeming wary of being in the same vicinity as her which wasn't a problem for the blind empath because the girl didn't seem to be a threat for now. Silence filled the air once more making her feel uncomfortable feeling James set his hand on her shoulder once more making it ease away slow at first clearing her throat holding her hand up in the air for a second a small ball of energy forming for a second before dropping a flash drive into her palm holding it towards the brown haired boy who carefully took it making the titans look at her in confusion.

"We've been keeping records on the events that happened over the past few years so don't be alarmed by the things you see because some of it is a bit graphic." She spoke slowly getting it across the titans' minds sensing a few of them nodding in understanding towards what they might see though she didn't really believe that they would be able to handle this…Robin possibly, but the others barely had ever seen a person near death. "James be a dear and bring the flash drive up onto the computer…if they have once since you know can't see the said device. While he's doing that I'm going to tell you about how we know Nightingale…I met her at Gotham Academy three years ago when she was an incoming student. James and I were friends at the time and well I was the welcoming committee so he tagged along…I didn't know meeting her was going to change things."

The computer booted up the flash drive with multiple files scattered on the device appeared while they all were reading them confusion appeared seeing codenames underneath each file starting with Black Bird and ending with one that just had a random assortment of letters and numbers under it. The Black Bird file had the curser hovering over it before an audible click hung in the air opening it up to multiple pictures and papers opened onto the screen making an uneasy feeling travel through the team members on the couch, but Raven stared trying to not show any signs that she was unsettled by what might be shown to them though she could hear something speak up in her mind trying to come through only to sound like a low mumble. The curser moved once more towards the first image on the screen revealing a picture in front of a gothic architecture style building near the entrance with gilded gold letters spelling out "Gotham Academy" on the iron gate above the three in the picture. Nightingale was easy to notice even if she was wearing the uniform of the school her long black hair placed in a messy low hanging bun and gray glasses framed her eyes though it was easy to tell that they were fake, but many were taken aback by her sitting in a wheelchair a slightly miserable excuse of a smile had been plastered onto her face though the discomfort was apparent in her eyes. James had been easy to point out as well wearing a wide grin trying to at least cheese up the picture a bit next to someone they were surprised to see, but they soon glanced down to Misty seeing that it was indeed her and not Siren standing in the picture though her hair was blonde instead of pink like it was now.

"I can sense your confusion so I'll explain. James and I aren't normal well he is a metahuman, but I come from a long line of witches that set their roots in Gotham after the incident at Salem happened. When I met Nightingale I instantly was drawn to her the energy that had been coming off her was terrifying it still is, but it's better managed now. Our friendship was a slow build since she barely talked about herself so it was just either James or I carrying a conversation with her, but she opened up half way through the year and became better at communicating." Misty continued on with her slight rambling, but she didn't mind it was a conversation she's had with many others in their group and she still didn't have all of her thoughts in place since there were already so many feelings bubbling up inside with the warmth of the memories that were flooding forward. "She informed us of who she was and what she did before coming to the school, but we were sworn to secrecy you know kid stuff like pinky promises and things like that soon she gave back equally in our conversations even offering James and I spots on her information team seeing that our powers were beneficial. That…thing that is inside of her the Thorn Maiden made a few appearances over the months before school ended and especially on her birthday either being helpful or trying to be intimidating it was hard to tell."

A scoff echoed in Raven's mind making her be taken aback by it trying to not show that she wanted to hear the things side of the story, but she wanted to know more about it before even thinking about having an open conversation with it in her head. She stayed quiet watching the pictures change repeatedly while the pink haired girl talked her voice seeming to falter slightly the more she went on like she knew something none of them did with the unsettling feeling continuing to grow watching the playful pictures soon change to another person being added to the frame one who looked exactly like Siren without her costume on her devilish smirk plastered on her face constantly with Misty going quiet for a moment the anger that overcame her calm demeanor started to show malice though her words still stayed the same stoic tone.

"The first year that we were all together was fine no incidences what so ever…it all changed once Eris came back from what my parents called an extended holiday. In reality my sister had been suspended from attending Gotham Academy for an incident where she controlled a few…individuals and a teacher into a compromising position with her mind control ability. The teacher was fired and the students were sent to counseling before being sent to other schools or dropping out in general all because my sister had a narcissistic breakdown over a grade made by that teacher and the students who were held in higher regard than her." She clasped her hands together the image remaining on what the titans could guess was the year after seeing Nightingale using crutches to stand on her own two feet her smile more genuine with Misty having a protective arm wrapped around her waist with James doing the same. The other blonde in the picture leaned against a brick wall next to the gates a bored expression hung in her hazel eyes while they seemed to not be facing towards the camera possibly glancing over towards her sibling with a small smirk present. "Eris is volatile and don't let that sweet demeanor she probably pulled off in front of you fool you into a false security…I thought I could keep Celine safe, but I couldn't always be there for her to stop what Eris was planning on doing to her."

Her voice slowly softened for a moment saying Nightingale's real name not as a slip…more like she was trying to separate the two knowing they were different entities in her mind. One was the hero that had been created out of a child sense of trying to do right with the world while the person behind the mask was trying desperately to forget the past events that had happened in her life. The glazed hazel eyes looked up towards the titans their auras burning bright with worry and curiosity, but other emotions were starting to bubble up inside more like a protective nature making her doubt the words she spoke earlier about them not caring. She focused on the rush of emotions coming from the other empath in the room feeling something totally different than the others in the room. It wasn't just a friendly nature though it had a familiar jolt to the system could she be…no that wasn't possible the link was there so maybe the two were just good friends. She cleared her throat getting everyone's attention once more trying to prepare herself for what she was going to say next and it was going to be tough.

"It was small things between them talking in class, hanging out during free period and finally Eris sitting at our table. Yes they were small incidences that were coincidental, but those soon started to change Celine was starting to skip out on meetings with our little group and even skipping classes turning into a quiet obedient slave for my sister. We both asked her repeatedly what my sister was making her do, but it was too late Eris had her under her spell without even controlling her mind…saying that they were dating. I didn't disapprove more or less I was just disappointed that Celine chose someone who only cared about herself…then the bruises started appearing I only noticed them when she her wrist was exposed while she tried to cover it quickly it wasn't hard to guess what it was."

A visible shutter ran through her body at the shifts in their auras while a few audible gasps entered the air at the pictures. They seemed to have been taken by a phone camera being slightly blurry since the focus had changed a few times to her arms and legs being exposed from the flash showing the dark set in bruises along with a few fresh ones other pictures were focused on her waist and stomach area seeing more of them appearing the more James tried to scroll through them at a quick pace a look of displeasure was all too apparent on his face. Most of them appeared to be hands that were putting too much force…Raven looked away with disgust not wanting to hear what she had gone through her chest tightening at the thought remembering Nightingale's screams from the fear toxin in her system was she remembering the pain that came from these bruises or is it something much worse? A swell of anger started to form in her body that was coming from both her and from someone else though it wasn't anyone else in the room it was coming from inside of her. Misty seemed to hesitate for a moment giving the others a chance to speak though Beast Boy probably shouldn't of taken the reigns.

"And you say we are bad friends. So if you started to notice the bruises they why didn't you stop the Eris chick from doing whatever cause those bruises?" he asked smugly not knowing the issue with it much less even grasping the fact of what those marks meant. Cyborg reached to try and hit him on the back of his head, but the sudden movement from Misty was enough to cause the bionic man to pause in his movement.

"You don't think I tried?! I asked her repeatedly interrogated her almost to try and get something out of her to figure out where they were coming from the answers I got were vague. Eris had her under her control and I didn't even notice the hazed look in her eyes until it was too late…James and I got worried so we followed her and Eris closely traveling through the shadiest parts of the city to an place that looked abandoned. When we went in however it looked like a party was being held there with a few important groups from the academy being there as well with a few public school kids there. I looked everywhere for her trying to spot either of them from the crowded area not wanting the worst to come to light…then I heard her scream. It was faint, but I knew where I had originated from so I ran up the stairs grabbing James and breaking one of the locked rooms open…" her hands curled into fists turning her head away from the titans with a pained look appearing on her face knowing the memories were flooding back to her…how hard she wanted to kill her own blood for what she had done. "Someone was on top of her while Eris stood in the corner watching he was violating her while she just stood there eating it up…You don't know how much I tried to fight the urge to kill her right there, but I had to help my friend and made sure she didn't stop me from doing it. James jumped into action getting the guy off of her and beating him within an inch of his life while I tried to snap her out of her control…let's just say Eris had more power over her than I realized."

She pointed towards her eyes making them all take in what might have happened next, but Raven wasn't looking at her. Dread filled her mind along with the anger towards Siren started to grow knowing that the next time she laid eyes on the villain she was going to tear her apart…she was slightly enamored by the thoughts rolling through her mind, but at the same almost motherly voice entered her mind sounding apologetic and sad towards what had transpired.

' _ **I couldn't stop the mind control…it was too much for me to even try and get a word out to her…I fought so hard I was draining her to try and get control and when I did it was too late. The pink haired brat was on the floor screaming that her eyes had been burned while the other was just clapping at her success…I wanted to tear her soul apart and feed it back to her watch her squirm to try and fit the pieces back together, but she needed me to help mend her mind and the brat stopped me. Right now she needs all the help she can get to escape…I can barely get a word to her she too stubborn to let Siren hurt the titans…or even you.**_ '

Raven could only guess that the supposed link that Misty had mentioned earlier was able to tap into what the beast on the other end was thinking, but hearing it speak was almost heart wrenching to know that it truly seemed to care for its host or heir whichever one was appropriate. Though she was curious on why she was separated from the titans as an individual…possibly something to talk to Nightingale about once all of this was over. It sounded sincere and much better than what Misty was portraying it to be though she barely heard little out of the other magic user until now hearing her voice over power the one in her head.

"That… _ **thing**_ didn't even try to help her until it was too late. James informed me on the rest that happened once my sight was gone…it wasn't pretty. The building had started to shutter at the sudden burst of demonic energy entering the air making it heavy and Eris tried to escape, but the Thorn Maiden wasn't having it tying her to the wall with thorns digging into any exposed skin on her body while she was about to tear her soul out of her body I intervened and placed a seal blindly on the floor. I was almost too late, but it was enough to calm her down and for Celine to be in control once more." Her spoken words seemed to show bitterness towards the maiden once more setting another burst of anger to explode out of Raven making her take in that the beast must have been listening the whole time. "After that and my recovery Eris was removed from the school and sent to local juvenile detention center since she couldn't be tried as an adult yet in court though my parents settled everything out of court anyways knowing her record would be clean once she turned eighteen…Celine changed drastically with it poking through more and more becoming volatile and draining her energy so the only option was to have her either drop out or graduate early. She opted for the latter while James and I dropped out to help her recover him with the physical trauma while I with the mental…you don't know how long it took to make her not skittish of any other male aside from him. Her mind had been a slow mend, but she made it through along with the _**thing**_ inside so she was back to what could be assumed was the person she was before Eris's influence."

"You don't seem to like the Thorn Maiden…or whatever it is very much do you?" Raven commented not understand why she even opened her mouth in the first place, but her interest was piqued…from what it sounded like the Maiden cared about Nightingale and was only protecting her when it lost control, but seeing Misty stiffen for a moment showed her true feelings…she feared the demon.

"That thing is a monster…a demon that thinks so highly of itself that it seems like a joke. Supposedly it is one to other demons since it loves humans so much, but that isn't the reason why I don't enjoy being in its presence. The Thorn Maiden is old and ancient not a lot of magic users or hunters for that matter even bring her up since it's been ages since a sighting of her in a physical form has been recorded thought…" her glazed hazel eyes looked towards where Raven stood sending a shiver up her spine for a second only to continue on glancing back towards James sensing his uneasy aura. "The thing has been attached to the last human heir of its bloodline so there is no reason for it to be a threat anymore since it seems to be trying to keep her alive. So no it isn't much of a threat all it does is bare its dull fangs towards anyone while its heir suffers under the weight of all the negative energy it creates. You don't know how many suppressors I have to make to keep up with it since the incident much less the-."

She stopped midsentence noticing the demon showing itself once more the anger plastered on the face that it had borrowed from Nightingale made her glare at it know it's true form was monstrous and its human form mysterious since it only took on the form of it's heir. Misty moved across the room quickly reaching forward and grabbing the beast by the chin pumping her energy through it trying to make it solid visible to the others in the room aside from her and the empath, but it seemed to be trying to fight it odd. She looked over to see the invisible thread that was linking the two becoming visible hearing the other titans speaking wondering what she was doing Raven watched in slight surprise seeing a thin thread wrapped around her wrist leading towards the demon making her wonder when the link was even formed to begin with hearing Misty utter some words under her breath that sounded like an order with emphasis on the last word sounding like a name in an dead language that even Raven had never heard before the sound of the demon hissing lowly their purple eyes boring into the glazed hazel ones abuzz with green aura. The voice entered the air causing many to shutter at the sound though James and the violet haired heroine were unaffected by its sound of the motherly voice trying to sound menacing towards the pink haired girl.

' _Ordering me now are we brat? Just because you know my name doesn't mean you have the right to utter it to get me to do what you want…if you want to know where my heir is you just have to ask nicely._ ' It responded bearing it's fangs towards the pink haired girl the normal human teeth in her mouth had been replaced with razor sharp ones making Raven feel slightly unsettled for a moment, but the demon's purple eyes looking towards her softening for a moment. ' _Besides…I care too much about her happiness to let her stay under the control of that bitch of a sister no offense._ '

"I'm surprised you even want to cooperate, but this talk has already taken enough precious time to start looking for her now if you just give us the location of where your host is then it will be much simpler." Misty replied back slightly glad her plan worked to get it to appear after talking bad about it was enough to make the link kick in. She saw it hesitate for a moment glancing towards the cloaked heroine while a shutter went through her body images filling her mind of an abandoned hanger making her step back from the demon it's form shuttered for a moment while the images continued to flood into Misty's mind seeing the city lights starting to slowly dip down making her guess that they were at the city limits…was she planning on escaping? The images soon faded causing her to stumble for a second trying to gather the information feeling James's firm hands holding her up sending him a thankful look sensing the titans moving around her questionable auras floating around her, but the empath hadn't moved with the demon leaning near her ear whispering something before disappearing leaving a puzzled expression on her face not understanding what had been told to her.

"Alright…it gave me a location so we better move since it looked like Siren is starting to make a break for it. If she leaves Jump City…"

"Then there isn't a chance we will ever get Nightingale back. Titans move out and be ready to fight our friend…I don't think Siren is going to let her go so easily." Robin finished off Misty's sentence determined to get his friend back watching the other male teammate's high fiving each other ready to head out with Starfire showing a determined look while Raven only sent a small nod though her body language said otherwise. He turned towards the two other people in the room noticing the girl had summoned a pair of grey gauntlets surging with energy and was fastening them to her own hands using her teeth to tighten the braces while James watched wanting to help, but he seemed to know better than to offer. "Tell us where we should be headed and be ready to help us fight."

"Oh don't worry you guys aren't going to be the only ones, but I want a stipulation…if we get Nightingale back I want her to come back with us to Gotham. I think she's going to have enough of this hero business once this is over with and will need time to recover." Misty demanded knowing that what she had said would spark an argument, but she saw the boy wonder want to pose one before stopping himself knowing he was going to save it for later.

"That will be debated later right now she needs us to help save her. Titans move out!" He yelled the last part while Misty explained the location while they were heading to it hoping that they weren't too late, but nothing could prepare them for what they were going to face.

 _Later on near nightfall near the abandoned hanger outside of town_

It took them longer to try and find the right location, but it wasn't hard to locate an abandoned hanger since there was a broken down airport just outside of town. The broken asphalt of the tarmac crunched under their feet while they tried to scan the area with what little daylight they had left spotting a few silhouettes scattered across the way surrounding one of the two hangers that were located on the property making them wary trying to hide against the disassembled one. Cyborg carefully looked around the side spotting a few beefed up guys walking around seeming to be bored with the positions they were in not enjoying watching a supposedly abandoned hanger seeing the doors were closed shut. He looked towards the others holding up about four fingers on each hand signaling there were eight of them out there easy enough to deal with, but how would they get around them without drawing attention to themselves. Misty looked between them all crackling her gauntlet covered hands hearing the bones crack underneath bending down onto the crushed asphalt beneath her popping out one of the claw like syringe drawing out a game plan.

"I need to get close to Nightingale to get her under sedation so I'm going to have to ask you guys to be a distraction. Draw her attention fight her if you have to, but make sure she doesn't see me getting close until it's too late. Also target attacks onto Siren her power works like a hive mind if she gets attacked it draws in more people that are under her influence losing her control on a bit too many minds at once and her powers start to short circuit." Misty ordered looking up to see the titans nodding in understanding towards the plan knowing fully well what they might have to do to their friend, but Raven felt the hesitation building ever since they got to the site since she was starting to worry about what Siren had done to Nightingale at this point her mind drifting back to when they were hunting down where the Venom was coming from and JD holding her against a door possibly whispering unsettling things into her ear made her fear the worst. A reassuring feeling went through her making her wonder if the demon on the other end of the link could sense what she was thinking, but that might have been a stupid thing to think of since she could still hear a muffled voice not knowing who it was either Nightingale or the demon trying to speak it didn't matter now. The titans readied themselves not knowing what might be in store once they started fighting with Robin making the first move hurling a barrage of smoke bombs across the way causing a loud explosion and surprised shouts to enter the air while they made their move leaving James and Misty alone to wait for their signal to move in.

Robin rushed in hurling a few birdarangs into the fray of smoke hearing them smack into something or someone before the sudden sound of a body hitting the ground...so one down seven more to go. He pulled out his staff ready to attack seeing another silhouette slamming it into their side hearing a low grunt when it collided against the person, but he wasn't expecting them to grab it hurling him out of the smoke and into the lowered doors on the hanger wincing at the sudden sensation of pain surging through him. The person strolled up to him a grin plastered on their face ready to attack, but it didn't stay for long when a green bull rammed into them flinging them away and possibly incapacitating them. Beast boy quickly transformed back to send a quick grin towards his leader who only nodded back in appreciation towards having his back covered before running back into the fray as a green tiger roaring loudly to signal that he was entering the smoke filled area. Green starbolts soared through the smoke hitting a two more henchmen knocking them out in the process while blue sonic blasts started to clear out the smoke a bit spotting that there were only four left, but they were easy work with Raven wrapping black tendrils of energy around them before slamming their heads into each other leaving them remaining members incapacitated. Each member of the team casted a glance towards the hanger a few taking in a deep breath before Cyborg and Starfire walked over to lift the hanger door up hearing it creak in protest at the sudden movement, but once there was enough room the small group were able to get in with ease leaving them surrounded by darkness with the only light being created from the outside which was already fleeting.

Everyone moved cautiously across the ground with weapons and powers ready for anything that might be heading their way, but someone was watching from the rafters following their every move slinking carefully across the rafters not making a sound to give away their position. The Titans continued on hearing the familiar hum of generators turning on with the lights slowly flickering on around them making their senses move onto high alert with Beast Boy changing back quickly to his human form not knowing what beast might be needed in a moment with Raven being the first one to spot Siren sitting on her throne like before. Her anger swelled inside ready to take her down hearing the muffled voice once more, but it was starting to sound clearer looking up towards the bored hazel eyes that stared down at the Titans with JD by her side his green eyes glowing with the sudden illumination around them a greedy smirk appearing on his face momentarily before changing back to a sort of smug look while he stared down at the titans.

"Where is she? Where is Nightingale?!" Robin ordered wanting answers from the person staring down at them her bored expression never changing though a small devilish smirk appeared on her face.

"Oh don't worry my pet is here…and she has orders to follow now that you all are here. Pretty Bird if you could be a dear take them down will you? I have use for the Titans after all." Siren spoke boredom embedded into her voice though her chipper attitude was gone replaced with a flat and unamused tone.

Robin kept his staff in the air glancing around the room like the others on his team wondering where Nightingale could be since from what Misty said when she was under her control it was an obsession to be near her and pro…his eyes widened before he could even tell to move when someone slammed into the ground behind them the concrete cracking in the process causing all of them to turn to see a person they really didn't want to fight.

Her clouded azure eyes bored into each member with a blank expression appearing on her face never changing standing in a small crater that she had created with force that was unimaginable with black speck floating around in the air. Nightingale's costume seemed unharmed just like its wearer, but something was off about her hair seeing a mixture of white in the dark strands making them curious of how that happened though they didn't have time to ask. She reached behind her the sound of the magnet clips coming undone echoed through the building while she brought her kukris forward crossing her arms in a readied stance to attack making the titans take in that talking wasn't going to be the way to solve this. Before Robin even could tell the titans to separate she moved at a quick speed moving for Beast Boy first surprising him for a second slamming the butt of one of her blades into his head making him stumble for a second dropping down to swipe his legs out from under him making the poor green boy slam to the ground a low groan emanating from his throat. The others soon separated wanting to cover more ground and not be sitting ducks for their former comrade watching her lazily look around trying to see who she would go after first settling on Cyborg to be her next victim. She moved in a blur of black specks changing quickly into a bird to easily catch up to the bionic man making him skid to a halt seeing her appear before him raising his arm cannon.

"Please Nightingale I really don't want to do this I know you're still in there!" he shouted towards her his cannon charging slowly with his hesitation…she wasn't listening reaching into her utility belt pulling out a familiar silver orb hurling it towards the cannon exploding on contact to have the sticky putty like substance gumming up his weapon making it hard for him to even change it back into a hand. He glared at her only for it to change to surprise seeing her so close to his face making him quickly back away trying to block her incoming attack, but it was hard since one hand had been almost permanently replaced by the sonic cannon since the gunk was going to take weeks to get out of his system. He was slammed in the face by a spin kick making him stumble to the side hearing her steel toed boots slowly tapping to the floor before her hands reached for his foot hurling him into the ground seeming to incapacitate him her blades slipping into the concrete from the air before being plucked from their positions. A groan escaped from Cyborg's mouth watching her walk away wanting to warn the others, but she was already gone in a flurry of black specks a small sigh escaping from his lips hoping that this distraction plan was going to work feeling vines slowly wrapping around him before dragging him into the darkness.

Starfire quickly moved around the rafters trying to avoid being spotted by her former comrade, but even she couldn't be sneaky the sound of something whizzing past her head caused her to let out a small noise of surprised ducking only to hear the item that was being thrown at her sink into one of the rafters near her spotting a familiar bladed weapon digging deep into the metal. She quickly turned her head towards where the weapon had originated from only to earn a kick to the face causing her to cry out in pain crashing to the floor dealing with the sudden hit wondering how powerful her friend really was to actually cause a Tamaranean to feel these aches. Nightingale dropped down staring blankly at her both of her blades in her hand ready to attack though she seemed to be waiting for her to get back up on her feet being honorable while still under mind control is not an easy feat watching the orange skinned alien finally doing so shaking off the rubble that had attached itself to her. Starfire hesitated knowing that she saw this girl before her as a sister, but the person she was now had been nothing like the person who showed her how to make an easy human dish even if it was scrambled eggs. Green balls of energy formed in Starfire's hands ready to attack maybe wanting to knock some sense into her, but Nightingale hadn't moved though she had moved one of her blades back into its sheath leaving a malformed blade to face the black specks lingering more with the white strands becoming noticeable the more she stood in the light. The orange haired alien couldn't bring herself to bring the first blow her hands releasing the built up energy looking towards her with pleading eyes.

"Friend please this isn't you I wish to not bring harm. I want my friend back to scold me about my food from my home planet…I want my sister back." Starfire spoke wholeheartedly towards the girl watching her stiff stance soften for a second, but it was only there for a moment watching her reach for her pouch once again pulling out a lone flash grenade pulling the pin before tossing it towards the alien girl covering her eyes so they wouldn't be affected by the sudden blinding light hearing the girl gasp loudly out of shock watching her silhouette stumble for a moment rubbing her eyes trying to erase the burning sensation that was forming. Nightingale rushed forward her eyes burning a bit with the lingering bright light fading slamming Starfire in the gut earing a stiffened breath while she tried to fight to get the air back in her lungs before the black haired heroine slammed her forehead into hers knocking her back into a pile of boxes noting that she wasn't moving sending vines out once more to drag her former teammate away to where her mistress wanted them to be, but the alien girl's words rung in her head making her unaware of the person charging at her…well almost unaware.

Robin had been watching the entire time hoping Nightingale might snap out of it, but seeing her laying a hand on Starfire was enough to put him in a rage watching her spin on her heels turning towards the oncoming body throwing her off balance ramming into her the crater that Starfire had formed previously, but she was able to regain herself blocking his attack with his staff with her deformed blade the sound of the metal reverberating in the air. She continued to block moving backwards out of the crater with every savage hit headed towards her way the blank expression never changing while the boy wonder's seemed to expel the anger that had formed using his momentum build up to kick her in the stomach hurling her across the concrete floor looking to see if Misty and James had gotten into the building seeing a blur of pink out of the corner of his eye. He popped out one of his minor explosive discs from hurling three towards her hoping it was going to be enough of a distraction, but the former teammate was quicker than he though slashing one out of the air that was headed straight for her though one exploded near her right hand carrying her blade causing an injured cry of pain to escape from her throat while the blade clattered to the floor where the next explosive went off knocking her backwards with only the handle of the kukri hurled itself from the smoke towards him thinking that she was down for the count.

Nightingale bursted quickly out of the smoke rushing forward towards the boy wonder catching him by surprise at the animosity watching her move with inhuman speed to pull her other blade out of its sheath to attack slicing his staff cleanly in half making him resort to using them as batons trying to block her furious blows, but it was beginning to be too much making him stumble for a moment. Her free hand reached forward to catch him pulling him towards her and slamming her forehead into his seemingly avoiding trying to hurt him as little as possible watching his body beginning to go limp hurling him into the crater for good measure watching him soon become swallowed by the vines she had summoned her hair once again showing more white becoming imbedded in the black strands glancing around her blank expression showing small signs of unease when a familiar crackle of green energy boomed behind her making her turn quickly onto her heels catching Misty's gauntlet covered hand seeing the surprise enter the blind girl's face before grabbing her by the wrist and hurling her towards James who was trying to get in an attack from behind. The two of them stumbled to get back up, but her vines quickly made work of them dragging them away hearing them sputter and yell incoherently…that was all of them right?

Raven watched from behind a pillar trying to blend into the darkness watching Nightingale glance around for a second only to shuffle off moments later with her trailing behind in the shadows. She was walking back towards where Siren had been seated hearing the villainess clapping her hands a wide grin plastered on her face getting up from her throne looking over at the titans and others wrapped up in vines seeming to be struggling to get free. Her hands clenched for a moment wanting to save them right now, but waiting for the right time would give her a better chance at saving her friends and the other two watching Nightingale stiffen at the sound of the clapping making her wonder how much control Siren really had over her watching the blonde haired villainess move closer to the black haired heroine seeing her giving such a small appreciated smile before slapping her across the face making the rage build up more inside of Raven.

"I thought I told you to bring them to me harmed and unconscious not squirming and barely conscious." Siren spoke her voice taking on a more calm and calculated demeanor than the one any of them had seen at the warehouse…this was the true person behind the mask. "But I can forgive you since you brought me more than I asked for~"

Her arm motioned towards her sister who was struggling while her pink hair covered her face her glasses missing from her face while glazed hazel eyes glared up towards clear ones. James seemed to be sending daggers towards her, but the girl just blew a kiss towards both of them before looking back at her captive audience grabbing Nightingale by the face and tilting her head down to give her just a quick and forceful peck on the lips the muffled voice once again spoke, but Raven could barely get anything from it making her want to quit trying to listen to it seeing her face show slight disgust for a second making the rage slightly simmer down for a second. Black aura formed around her hands pushing her magic forwards towards the blonde haired girl entrapping her in a snare of tendrils forming a cone like cage around her though she seemed unphased by this sudden turn of events. Raven slowly stepped out form the shadows her eyes glowing with energy seeing Nightingale's body tense up staying that was seeing an emotion flash across her face that was almost unreadable.

"You are going to release my friends and undo the mind control you have on her or I will make you." Raven uttered in her monotone voice the venom dripping from each word, but Siren seemed unphased by it maybe even amused was the right emotion to address the look on her face.

"Hm…how about I just get the Titans under my control as well to get this city under my thumb? That seems like a much better deal to be honest with you." She replied her calculated demeanor not changing the whole time catching Raven off guard for a moment, but it was enough for JD to move in form his hiding place wrapping his arms around her in a crushing hug causing her to cry out in pain at the pressure feeling him move one arm to apply it across her chest as well. Her concentration was soon broken letting Siren back onto the ground a visible smirk appearing on her face while she strolled towards the cloaked heroine tilting her hood down revealing a face in agony seething with rage towards her. The blonde haired girl smirked even more grabbing her by the chin causing Nightingale's ridged body to finally make a move seeing that she had placed her hands on Raven…a soft whisper entered her mind while her azure eyes seemed to show signs of coming alive. "Hm…cute underneath the hood don't you agree JD? What should we do keep her as a pet along with her?"

"I believe that is an excellent idea mistress, but maybe we should have fun with her just to make the control easier to handle…breaking an empath won't be so hard will it?" JD commented back a greedy grin appeared on his face while leaning down to try and plant a quick peck on Raven's cheek only to have the violet haired girl slam the back of her head into his face earning a pained snarl to escape from his mouth while a sudden quick snap entered the air while the smell of iron started to bleed into the air. "You bitch you broke my nose!"

Nightingale watched Raven struggling hearing the titans trying to yell and scream telling her to get out of the beef head's grasp their words echoed in her mind making her reach up with one hand wincing hearing the muffled voice once again starting to become louder making her bend over trying to make whatever was trying to get her attention to speak louder her mind slowly becoming unclouded her kukri clattering to the floor went unnoticed by everyone. The voice suddenly boomed in her mind making her eyes open wide revealing the glazed look was almost gone, but it still tugged at her telling her that she needed to stay this way to keep the titans safe…the voice once again boomed in her mind.

' _Do something now! We can't let them harm any of the titans…we can't let them harm her please for once can you not be selfless and save her!_ ' it screamed in her mind with another muffled voice coming in louder underneath…was that Raven no there was no possible way that the empath could have gotten in her mind, but her voice was coming out clear like the demon in her body. The words save me echoed loudly in her head making her finally snap wanting to get out from under Siren's control vines shooting up from the concrete and wrapping around her hand crushing it in the process had been the final push to clear her mind for now. A cry of pain wanted to escape her lips, but she soon hushed it trying to look at the damage on her hand seeing blood was already seeping down through her right glove…would it be enough? She stumbled trying to ignore the pain her azure eyes flashing purple while she tried to get over towards the oaf that was hold Raven feeling her body picking up speed while an inhuman snarl escaped from her throat her voice startling everyone in the room.

" **Get your hands off her!** " She screeched slamming her already broken hand into the villain face feeling his crushed nose seeming to crumble a bit more JD letting go of the startled heroine whose knees hit the concrete roughly hearing the fight going on behind her. Raven turned her head to see Nightingale hurling punch after punch on the black cladded villain not even giving him a chance to breathe with black specks funneling around her catching a quick glance towards her eyes she spotted the familiar purple hue slipping into them. She looked over toward Siren to see the fear plastered on her face, but it was soon replaced with anger bringing her fingers up to her mouth to let out a high pitched whistle to signal more of her men to come into the building seeing a few storming into the area surrounding the fallen JD and Nightingale. The black haired heroine looked around catching glimpses of the enemies around her a low tsk noise escaped from her throat snapping her fingers on her unbroken hand letting the vines around her friends dissipate…she was going to need all the energy she could get for what she was about to do.

The titans stood Beast Boy hollering for her to kick their asses and she was going to she just needed to break a promise. She held her left arm up towards her mouth grabbing onto the fabric covering her skin pulling it off quickly tearing the supposedly strong fabric with her bare teeth revealing showing olive tone of her skin clashing with the white scar that ran along her lower arm shakingly bringing her bloody hand up to it trying to bend one finger out holding in the cry of pain. She quickly placed her fingertip against her arm revealing a golden glow forming from it making Misty visibly shutter her blind eyes widening knowing what Nightingale was going to do.

"Eins*." She spoke softly hearing a soft cluttering of chains breaking away with one level of the seal disappearing feeling a comforting hum travel through her body hearing Misty's voice booming through the hanger.

"Nightingale wait don't you don't know what that thing will do if you give it control!" She screamed catching the others attention wondering what she was talking about for a moment only to have it click remembering the demon inside their friend. The pink haired girl wanted to rush to stop her from doing something stupid, but it was too late hearing a motherly voice slipping into the air of the hanger causing a shutter to go down her spine.

' _Zwei*._ ' It echoed outside sending a shiver through Nightingale's body feeling the second seal finally breaking away her the color in her hair slowly melting away to a pure white while her olive complexion soon changed to the tint of a porcelain doll the sound of bones snapping back into place on her hand started to echo through the building making the henchmen coming in hesitate with their steps a few seeming to come to their senses. Purple eyes looked around counting the enemies black finally seeping into the whites of her eyes the transformation almost complete just one more seal to go.

" _ **Drei*.**_ " Their voices combined once the final seal was broken a vortex of black specks started to form around her before a wave of energy pushed them away sending a shockwave through the building knocking a few henchmen over while the titans tried to stand their ground fighting the sudden winds that whipped through the building seeing Nightingale standing in the center of it all unphased by what was happening around her. An unsettling grin appeared on her face her arm outstretching into the specks watching them attack to it covering her arm in darkness claws forming where her fingers would be while her left soon was covered the same way. " _ **Who is first on my shit list?**_ "

The henchmen scrambled a bit to move away from her, but she was faster than them pushing herself from her standing position causing a crater to appear where her right foot pushed off from slamming into one taking the air from their lungs. She used her inhuman momentum to grab him by the ankle to hurl him towards another taking both of them out in a matter of seconds with Beast Boy letting out a low whistle while the others watched with slight fear bubbling up in their bodies…was Nightingale really capable of this or was this all the demon's powers? The grin wasn't leaving her face while she continued to move through each enemy not hearing the voice in the back of her mind anymore…no they were equals right now there was no need to have guidance. This energy flowing through her body was invigorating, but they had little time before it swallowed her whole…neither of them wanted that. She felt someone hurl a punch towards her face turning her head a bit, but the sensation of something dripping form her mouth caught her attention spotting the flecks of blood dripping into the concrete enraged her.

" _ **You sniveling little ingrate!**_ " She growled out making the man almost shit a brick, but her hand slashed across his chest causing four vertical slashes to appear on his chest blood slowly starting to snake out of the wounds though he was too slow with her next attack hurling him into the hanger door denting it with his body. Soon more of the henchmen tried to escape through the only opening in the pushed up hanger door only to have a wall of vines appeared to block their path making them turn towards the girl behind them purple flames dancing along her body a small knowing smirk appeared on her face hurling balls of fire towards the men hearing them screech and holler trying to run slipping through the opening leaving the hanger full of silence. She turned on her heels ready to send a familiar smile towards the titans to tell them that everything was okay, but her purple eyes burned brighter seeing what was transpiring behind her.

The titans were standing ready to attack a certain green eyed villain who was holding Raven one again by her hair a weapon in his hand…her kukri that had fallen on the floor with Siren watching from the side away from them all smirking like she had already won. He turned towards her his eyes glowing brightly with madness taunting her. She started to move towards him, but he pressed the sharp part of the blade closer to the cloaked heroine's throat a drip of blood flashed of the weapon making her blood boil even more though her body spasmed for a moment…not now she needed more time. She pressed her hand against her stomach trying to ignore the pain for now trying to focus on a way to save Raven without her getting hurt. Nightingale shifted her foot to the side absentmindedly feeling it take control already thinking of a plan for her a vine ripping from under the concrete to wrap itself around the wrist holding the weapon pulling it roughly hearing his voice cry out in agony at the sudden pain while Raven quickly got away looking toward the now white haired heroine seeing the murder in her eyes with the weapon once again clattering to the floor.

She pulled the villain across the room dragging his body roughly across the concrete knowing fully well what it wanted to do and she approved of it holding him up in the air watching him squirm. A smirk appeared on her face before a wince traveled across it knowing that time was starting to become short…no she could get more time if she gave it more control though once the thought passed through her mind she started to instantly regret it. Raven watched seeing the black on her arms soon start to travel to her face causing a pained expression to appear on the girl's face watching her breath in some air roughly her teeth now changed into razor sharp fangs making her take in the rest of her appearance hearing the sound of bones shuttering and clattering in the air. Phantom antlers appeared on her head becoming solid by the second while her limbs became lanky and gauntly by the minute seeing her reach up and place a hand over JD's face her voice causing the cloaked heroine to shutter.

" _ **Do you remember what I told you I would do to you if you laid a single hand on her?**_ " She asked absentmindedly watching his green eyes widen while he tried to struggle against the vines holding him up her smile turning into a sickening grin. " _ **Hm…maybe tearing your soul to shreds and feeding it back to you will be enough of a lesson after all.**_ "

"Nightingale stop!" Raven shouted making the girl's body go ridge turning her head towards her to notice a faint image of a thorn crown floating above her head made her shutter…this wasn't the person she had gotten to known. "I-I'm okay look at me. Everything is okay I just need you to come back to us…please come back to me…" She muttered the last part under her breath not knowing where it was coming from watching the demonic girl before her shutter guessing she heard the last part turning once again toward JD before using the vines to wrap him in place knowing that it would be easier for the police to deal with him later. Her hair slowly started to change back to its familiar dark color while the tint of her skin changed back to the olive complexion once more hearing the demon grumble inside her head, but she ignored it feeling in control once again turning towards the violet haired teen flashing a famous grin her way making a eased look appear on the pale skinned heroine. Nightingale slowly started to make her way towards the others seeing their relieved faces, but her eyes widened seeing Siren had not been dealt with during the whole incident watching her rush past the others an crazed look in her eyes…she was heading towards Raven.

She moved quickly startling the cloaked heroine in the process hearing her protest about not enjoying hugs but she felt the girl pivot her around a pained expression crossing her features hearing a soft noise escape from her throat. Her violet eyes widened seeing the blonde haired villain grinning madly holding Nightingale's kukri in her hand blood dripping from the blade watching it come down fast trying to warn the girl holding her to watch out, but it was too late the weapon plunged it's way into her lower right side a stinging sensation snaked through her body pushing the cloaked heroine away with silence filling the air…the tip of the blade was trying to poke its way out of the front of her costume. Before she could even say anything the sensation from earlier grew more feeling a sudden pulling on the blade feeling it slide out of her body the blood slowly starting to pool sticking to the fabric around the wound.

Nightingale shakingly looked up towards Raven seeing the girl covering her mouth trying not to scream stumbling for a moment feeling her body taking in the sudden shock to her system before falling to the ground. She tried to put pressure onto the wound hearing people rush towards her seeing Raven and Starfire getting on their knees the latter with tears in her eyes while her muffled voice was telling her to survive. She could feel the wetness traveling around her taking in that the other open wound and slash across her back were being unattended to seeing her blood slowly starting to pool out. Her azure eyes could feel the breath in her body fading slowly looking towards where Siren once was seeing Misty slamming her repeatedly in the face, but something was rumbling inside of her with rage. She couldn't say anything the pain traveling through her body a pained gasp leaving her throat with the blood pool starting to grow bigger while Raven tried to use magic to heal the one on front. A rumbling growl entered the air startling the group once again watching Starfire stumble back from the blood seeing it bubble slightly before a paw rose out of it pulling the rest of its way out with Raven watching in horror seeing the demon creating a physical form before them all. The beast had a wolf like appearance with its spine visible along it's back leading up to an exposed wolf skull with intricate carvings blending in with the bleach coloring. The antlers were elegant and large while its purple eyes bored into anyone's soul who looked at it before it moved its fearful gaze towards Siren watching the girl's demeanor change drastically clawing at her sister to protect her.

The demon moved quickly between the titans towards the girl, but Misty was quicker summoning a seal before it trapping it in place causing the beast to buckle underneath the magic. Raven watched with Nightingale's body suddenly started to spasm like she was gasping to breath clawing at her own throat noticing her features were changing becoming paler once more making panic fill her mind grabbing onto the girl's hands noticing that her squirming was causing the blood to slip out more the warmth she was used to feeling was slowly disappearing from Nightingale's hands making the cloaked heroine scared for once in her life…she didn't want to lose her not now…not that they had her back…not now when she was back with her…she looked up towards the pink haired magic user seeing her struggling to keep the demon at bay.

"Stop you're hurting her!" She yelled her powers shuttering to life for a moment passing through her while she tried to calm her own emotions down watching the pink haired girl realizing what she was going seeming to be hesitant towards releasing the demon not knowing what it would do once she did. A rough and angry sigh escaped from her lips lowering the seal and making it dissipate watching the demon want to step forward, but soon going back to its host hissing lowly towards Siren before sinking back into the black haired girl's body causing her shuttering to stop while a hard gasp for air escaped from her lungs her eyes fluttering for a moment before closing seeing Raven's violet eyes looking down at her in worry flooding her mind while the scent of lavender filled her lungs for a moment giving off a calming sensation…maybe sleeping right now wouldn't be so bad with her eyes soon fluttering closed one last hearing muffled voices saying her name.

 _Later on at the tower, unknown time or day_

Nightingale's eyes slowly fluttered open the sudden familiar clean smell of the infirmary with the oddly comforting sound of the heart monitor beeping in her ear keeping track of her heart…good she wasn't dead so that was a plus. A familiar warmth started to spread up her arm noticing someone was squeezing her hand glancing towards that side to see Raven with her hand gripping hers tightly fast asleep looking like she had been there for some time. She slowly sat up hissing lightly reaching down towards where Siren had stabbed her through noticing the bandage was going to need changed with blood seeping slowly from underneath taking in that her whole upper body was once again wrapped up along with her right hand though even she knew it was full healed. Carefully she removed her hand from Raven's hearing the magic user mutter something, but she still seemed asleep good…she didn't want to wake her up to get a scolding of a life time. She took her time trying to sit up keeping track of the wound wondering if the slash on her back had been healed only to hear shouting coming from the hallway. Slowly she tried to stand up, but her body was having trouble trying to keep her up…odd usually she's able to walk after a short rest.

Nightingale took a shaky breath trying to take another step hearing the infirmary doors opening revealing who was shouting with Misty and Robin almost at each other throats with Cyborg and James following behind them with worried looks on their faces. She heard someone shuffle behind her feeling the warmth once again noticing Raven was finally awake giving her a small smile, but she only earned a small disapproved look with a small mixture of a smile peeking through with the two of them listening form behind the curtains though the violet haired girl knew better she didn't want to give away that she was awake yet…a slightly giddy feeling traveled through her system since she had been sitting and watching her ever since they brought her back to the tower trading off a few times with Starfire on occasion though the sound of Robin slamming his hand against a rolling supply cart made her pay attention.

"You are not taking her back to Gotham that is final! She is fine under our care and our mission is done she needs to rest and heal up from the injuries she sustained." Robin spoke angrily towards the blind magic user, but she wasn't budging.

"Oh sure your gracious care towards her will have her back on the streets fighting you don't even have a way to help with the mental effects of mind control do you! Hell you rooted through her room to try and find her the first time I found her suppressors in the empath's room by the way so I really don't even know if she's been using them or you've been hiding them from her!" Misty yelled back their voices echoing in Nightingale's mind making her reach up and cover her ears…why was she feeling dizzy all the sudden? She glanced down towards her wound seeing that more blood was starting to blossom from it while her mind slowly started to static into a haze a unwanted voice started to creep into her mind hearing Siren's words echoing…she was still there. Panic filled her azure eyes while she stumbled out of the curtains giving away that she and Raven had been listening though none of that mattered when Misty was about to say something only to notice her wound bleeding underneath the bandages.

Her arm slowly started to cover with darkness making her reach up towards her mouth suddenly feeling something bubbling at the back of it trying not to puke onto the floor, but it was too late with dark liquid slowly dripping out of her mouth and onto the tile her coughing and sputtering echoed in her head while more of the ichor started to leak out her eyes switching between azure and purple with the same black liquid dripping out of her eyes. She stumbled once more Raven quickly rushing forward to catch her seeing the girl had once again passed out making her cast a worried glance towards her teammates and the supposed friends of Nightingale seeing Misty frowning with displeasure…treatment would have to start now before it was too late and she was going to need a lot more help than she realized.

* * *

 **This is the last cliffhanger I promise like seriously am done after this chapter lol. So again please don't kill me.**

 ***the words are one, two and three in German respectively.**

 **Hey the Thorn Maiden made a physical appearance…sort of through the use of blood, but yeah that is her demon form it's a lot more terrifying than you think since it takes on a mass equal to its own host. Also you got to see what little cooperation between the two beings can do even reading the titans getting taken down by their own teammate was fun to write. Considering I was listening to the english version of** _ **The Future Diary**_ **opening theme during her fights was personally fun and goddamn it when Raven said she wanted her to come back to her I felt a low awe escape from my own throat while I was writing it.**

 **So next chapter we are going inside Nightingale's mind to get rid of the remnants of Siren's mind control. Can Misty and Raven be able to clear out what is causing the random spasm of power to flow through our heroine? Will we learn more about our heroine and the beast inside or won't we? Haha only I know the answer so you will have to wait until the next chapter comes out.**

 **Please review and PM me with your thoughts also my Tumblr is open for you all.**

 **Anri out because she is going to chug a root beer float and cry in a corner because I hurt her once again and it pains me so.**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Hiiiii! *waves frantically* it is I Anri with another chapter for** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **sooo here we are on chapter Sixteen…funny thing is I was sure I would never get this far with the series. I honestly thought it would be like the others I think of and just be writers block haven for a while and sure I get those moments still, but I am getting better at planning out chapters ahead so we good. So my brain is literally begging for a break at the moment and I give myself a good day or two before I start working on the next chapter, but this time I literally started right after I posted the latest one which is unusual for me…Then I like crashed at midnight in a music filled haze only to be woken by my step dad rushing to get to work at four in the morning. Hey fun stuff after this chapter we will be doing an episode one which it will be** _ **How Long is Forever?**_ **Meaning to all you wonderful people we are heading into season two so Terra will be introduced along with a new enemies for Nightingale to face with or without the Titans by her side. Sooo fun times for me since I get to create villains and villainesses that will be possibly entertaining or horrifyingly created because that can also happen too!**

 **Now this chapter is called** _ **Weak**_ **for well a lot of reasons since you are going to see sides of both Nightingale and the Thorn Maiden that rarely get showing that vulnerable nature that is inside all of our minds that we don't show to the outside world. Yeah you guessed it even though I mentioned it last chapter we are delving into her mind because Siren left parts of herself in her mind causing ill effects such as the incident that happened last chapter since her body is seeing it like a toxin that needs to be purged out of her system by any means necessary. Oh and her powers are still not under control since she literally gave the demon inside a bit more control than it was used to. So both are having ill effect towards what parts are still lingering on her mind now Misty has to travel into her mind, but she won't be going alone.**

 **In other news I am going to try and update another one of my fanfics as well since I feel like they are being neglected. So the chapter after this one will happen once I get another chapter out for one of my fanfics and since the** _ **Steven Universe**_ **one already has part of the chapter together it will possibly be that one. Though don't fret I promise you that the next chapter for this will also be worked on so no worries they might even be posted the same day so hooray for me! This is just a small warning so ya that's going to be fun. Oh and I will never put smut in this fanfic because I can't write it to save my life so…Fluff for days whenever we get to the two heroines actually getting together who knows when that will be…oh right I do so Hahaha sorry for all the people who were hoping for smut and lemons galore…cause I don't do that.**

 **Again I gotta put anther trigger warning since once again I am stepping on eggshells talking about abuse and things like that so just if you're not comfortable with that then please I am sorry, but I warned you and you can continue at your own risk. Oh that and emotional stuff will be popping up so haha if you cry I'm sorry about that I was crying while typing it too like…my baby and her demon reliving things isn't fun.**

 **Okay away from the serious stuff and onto the disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans and I never will so that's it. I do own Nightingale, The Thorn Maiden and all my own characters along with their origins and Blackwater Manor. That is really all for this time. Oh I also don't own any of the music mentioned in this chapter those belong to the spectacular artist that sing them. There will just be lyrics, but the song is called** _ **My Dearest**_ **and it's a cover done by the wonderful AmaLee. It's not the whole song just a snip it of a few lines from it.**

 **Now…shall we get on with the show darlings?**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: Weak**

Everyone that was present in the infirmary stared down at the black liquid that stained the floor with surprise echoing in their minds except for two people with James casting a worried glance towards Misty who seemed to still show her displeasure towards what had just happened knowing that time was very limited right now. He moved quickly avoiding stepping in the ichor that appeared on the floor noticing the sickly sweet peach scent coming from it picking Nightingale up like she was nothing giving a bit of relief to the cloaked heroine walking her over slowly to place her down on the medical bed trying to make her comfortable. Misty was about to head that way, but something grabbed her wrist making her want to turn to see who it was though that would have been impossible already sensing the burning hot aura coming off the area a low irritated sigh escaped from her throat. The sound of the empath and the bionic man started to rush over to the bed checking the girl's vitals hearing her heart faintly beating along on the monitor, but their medical expertise wouldn't be able to help with what was truly going on making her cast an annoyed glance towards Robin the being who was holding her back.

"I would much appreciate it if you let go of my arm please so I can get to work." Misty muttered casually the tad hint of annoyance slipping into her words yanking her arm roughly away from his grasp only for him to once again stop her in her movement by standing in front of her. "Look I know you care about her, but if you're going to stop the person who actually can fix what's wrong from healing her then you're creating her death sentence."

"What do you mean, what is going on with her?" Robin asked the worry already mixing into his voice…they had just gotten her back and now this? He glanced over to see Cyborg and Raven trying their best, but it seemed like they were having trouble pin pointing what was going on with James even trying his hand at making Nightingale comfortable spotting more of the dark liquid coming out of her closed lids with the brown haired boy wiping it away with a cloth only to have it stain his fingers seemingly unphased by it…like this had happened before. "I need an explanation before I can let you do anything to her so if this ever happens again-."

"There might not be a next time if I don't help her right now! Look I can give you a quick explanation on what is happening, but it won't be a detailed report." Misty yelled in frustration pulling her hand away once again marching over to Nightingale pushing Cyborg out of the way earning a small amount of protest watching her hover her hands above her midsection before spreading them apart green energy humming across the injured heroine's body causing a small jolt in her system before calming down the liquid disappearing back inside, but this only was a temporary. "She's stable for now, but I don't have much time to go inside and…"

"You keep saying you don't have time, but for what?" Raven spoke up her monotone voice ringing in Misty's ears making the blind empath look up towards her sensing the emotions underneath were becoming riled up. "What is going on with her?"

Misty was taken aback by the sudden demanding nature of the magic user, but she couldn't ignore the questions anymore since it wasn't going to stop nor was she going to be able to concentrate while feeling like she was going to be eaten alive by them…damn her own guilt. She looked down towards Nightingale seeing a swirl of black and red energy moving around violently trying to stabilize itself, but to no avail having her green aura slowly sinking into the cracks trying to at least give some sort of effect on making it whole again though she knew that wasn't going to happen. This was again only a temporary fix for the much larger problem on going on inside her mind…what words did Eris say to her to keep her control still intact this time? She could feel her teeth grinding against each other at her own inability to get even a shred of information out of her sister before the cops locked her up, but there was no time to hate herself right now her friend needed her the most right now.

"This is gonna be a really shitty explanation on what is going on, but what I am telling you is the truth. Back in the hanger Nightingale did something that she promised me she wouldn't do even if it was a life or death situation…" A small frown formed on her face pointed towards the violet eyed magic user. "But it seems that all of that goes out the window once little miss over there was threatened with unmentionable things that might have happened if she didn't intervene. Gods why did it have to be now…you see what happened when she broke the seals that I placed on her and the Maiden became one which can be a deadly concoction if it's not monitored. I wasn't monitoring it which was a failure on my part, but she gave too much control towards the Maiden causing this sort of incident. I've seen this happen a few times before though the major one that triggered this kind of upset was that night…"

James cleared his throat getting everyone's attention for a second giving the blind empath a chance to wipe away the tears that were starting to form…this was her mistake right? When she saw her start to unlock the seals she should have stopped her from doing it, but her body didn't move fast enough that night. She should've been monitoring the demonic energy levels on her gauntlets, but she wasn't…she was too petrified over the overwhelming strength that she was showing just to protect the empath from suffering the same torment she went through or was there more to it than that? She shook her head no she was just trying to protect her friends so there couldn't be anything more to it, but a nagging feeling started to form at the back of her mind wondering if it was even a good idea to even have these people in here when she went in.

"The reason that her body is having such trouble trying to properly heal is a large reason I have to deal with. Siren likes to leave fragments of her mind control for special people and she's included in that little list so she leaves imprints on each person's subconscious that can have dangerous effects on a the brain of the person who was being controlled. It's usually a phrase or word that can trigger at any time even without someone uttering it." She closed her eyes for a moment trying to sense where ever the last thread of control was, but she only got a faint sense of what still lingered. "There is a faint thread of control left, but it's enough to cause Nightingale to react the way she is. Her mind is thinking it's a disease or virus that's trying to corrupt her I mean it is that, but her body is trying to expel it."

"So…how do you fix something like that it's not like there is a magical pill out there just to fix it right?" Cyborg asked jokingly trying to lighten a serious situation, but the effect only seemed to only make the seriousness in the air take a darker turn. "What's the plan then if you have the answers?"

"I'm planning on going inside her mind and severing the connection. The thing is I am limited on time right now and it is of the essence so this room needs to be quarantined immediately no one comes in or out of this room once you seal it off. Inform the other members of your team that you, Cyborg and Raven will be locked in her for an unknown amount of time to keep an eye on both my vitals and hers." Misty ordered watching the two members of the titans moving around quickly setting up another bed for her to lie on though she casted her eyes towards Raven seeing that she hadn't moved from her spot. Her emotions swirled in the other magic user's mind wondering what she could possibly be thinking of right now before a thought crawled into her brain making her instantly regret thinking of it. Sure it would be nice to have someone cover her while she explored Nightingale's mind, but would it be safe to even have her there to begin with? She racked at her brain for a moment trying to think of both the pros and cons of having the empath with her only to come out with an equal list…it wouldn't mess anything up or it could ruin the whole mission entirely the risk already seemed high enough with her in there, but another person would make the risk for danger even higher.

"I am going to regret even proposing this, but I need someone to cover my back in there and since I would be wasting my magic trying to bring a regular person in with me I need Raven to come with me." The words came out of her mouth quickly making the others pause for a moment, but the cloaked heroine looked quite shocked at the proposal. She looked down towards the sleeping heroine watching the hum of green aura slowly pulsing off of her if it was going to help her how could she refuse? Raven looked towards the two other members of the team giving them a quick nod before they scurried around once more getting another bed prepped. "I'll take your silence for a yes to join me so what I am going to need you to do is try and put yourself in a trance focusing on her memories help with the process making it easier so try honing in on a good memory if you have one. Once that's done you might feel a tugging sensation, but that's just me pulling you to the right direction."

Raven nodded once more trying to think of a memory she could use trying to avoid anything that would seem negative, but her mind started to wonder to simple memories before finally settling on one. She carefully placed herself on the open bed on Nightingale's right that Cyborg had laid out for her trying to prepare herself to enter the heroine's mind wondering what they would find in there, but her thoughts slowly transferred to the memory seeing that Misty was already putting herself into a trance with James watching close by. Both of the other members of the team sent encouraging thumbs up towards her though Robin seemed a bit more on edge than the other male member was he worried about something? Raven erased that thought immediately from her mind trying to focus on the memory feeling her mind slipping slowly into a trance the feelings coming out of the event she was trying to remember burned inside her chest with the familiar warmth surging through her.

The memory was simple and sweet well to her it was since this pleasant memory only happened a few days after Nightingale and the boys had left her mindscape though oddly enough she found herself cherishing it. The morning had been quiet for a rare amount of time giving Raven at least a chance to read one of the many books she had in her room, but the sound of strumming made her pause paragraph her eyes glancing over towards the wall where Nightingale's room was hearing a soft curse when one of the notes went sour. Soft muttering could be heard like the girl next door was trying to figure out where she had went wrong making the cloaked heroine curious ignoring her book placing it with the pages lying flat on her sheets knowing she was going to go back to reading it later. She took her steps carefully not wanting to seem crude and interrupting what the black haired heroine was doing before trying to discreetly open her door hearing the strumming begin once again. I sounded less like an actual song and more like she had just been tuning the guitar to get the right sound out of each note, but her mind couldn't stop being curious about it sure she enjoyed hearing her play on occasions she would stop reading entirely when she heard her play through the walls though even then only a few notes could be heard at best. Her door was open making her wonder if the other titans were around, but she could guess that they were either out on patrols or in the ops room relaxing meaning she was the only one to notice that she had been playing. Raven glancing into the room trying to not feel like she was intruding on the girl in the room her curtains open revealing the light of a midafternoon sun bleeding through.

Nightingale was dressed in casual clothes with a large shirt hanging off her frame baring a band that Raven had never heard of nor listened to with a pair of blue-grey sweatpants covering her crossed legs with the black guitar in her lap adjusting one of the tuning pegs before moving her hand back down towards the correlating sting getting a deep tone in response. A slightly displeased look appeared on her face making her brow scrunch with a small stand of hair escaped from the bun on her head before pushing it back behind her ear trying the tuning peg back by one turn before testing it again seeming to be satisfied by the sound now glancing down at the open notebook on her bed flipping through it revealing scattered notes on chords were covering most of the pages with song titles jotted up at the top of the pages with random scribbles and doodles. Raven soon felt the sudden sensation that this was wrong that she should be spying on her like this wanting to already head back to her room and continue reading her book, but the tugging sensation appeared once more like it wanted her to stay feeling both her mind and heart fighting against each other. The sound of her still turning the pages made a quick guess that the black haired girl hadn't found a song to play yet, but it soon stopped her hand hesitantly holding a page up seeming to be hesitant on placing it down before finally doing so staring at the song before her. Her right hand stretched slowly her fingers popping giving a small sense of release while she looked like she was preparing herself to play only to hesitate once more biting her lip…why was a song causing her discomfort? The thought of leaving crossed her mind once more, but the sound of the strings slowly being played made her stand in place.

The tune was haunting yet comforting at the same time drifting in and out of the feelings making Raven close her eyes enjoying the melody pressing her back against the wall. It was soothing to just be able to listen to her without a wall between them the music fluttering in the air raw and undefined though this just made her want to go into the room to listen without feeling like she was doing something wrong. She opened her eyes wanting to know the title of the song just out of curiosity leaning a bit to try and see around the corner watching Nightingale close her eyes seeming to be lost in the music making Raven's heart sputter for a moment her cheeks burning at the sight of seeing her so at peace with herself. It was a rare sight and whenever she got the chance to see it there was always that sudden warmth sensation…like she was happy to see her that way and she wanted to keep her in that state of mind feeling the warm burning sensation spreading even more causing her to move away from the door trying not to make a sound pulling her hood down trying to cover her face at the thoughts and her emotions making a ruckus in her mind. The sound of her voice soon started to flow in the air making her mind slowly come at ease her mind eagerly taking in the words that were being sung only able to hear certain lines through her cowl covered ears.

 _And even if the darkness comes and tries to_

 _Take you far away_

 _I'll become the light that shines down_

 _Enveloping all dark you see_

 _I'll hold you close and won't let even God above_

 _Take you from me_

A sudden tug caught Raven's attention while she was still trying to enjoy the memory bringing her back to reality making the false sense of security disappear making her give one more glance towards Nightingale feeling the memory flicker in her mind. The place around her started to distort and stretch making her take in a deep breath trying to think of the positives once Misty and her were able to get rid of what remnant of Siren's control was still in her friend's mind…maybe next time she might even ask her to play her guitar when this is all over or they could conversate over a book. A small smile appeared on her face letting the darkness around her soon envelope her with a slight wonder of what would be inside of Nightingale's mind or even what it would look like on the inside. A bright flash made her cover her eyes suddenly stunned by the light seeping into the area stepping back only to feel nothing behind or below her feet causing her to stumble for a second before falling off the edge trying to catch herself. A silent scream escaped from her throat while trying to brace herself for impact closing her eyes and curling up to at least minimize the damage she might only to be swallowed by a pool of darkness. She clawed her way up out of the suffocating and sticky substance catching a hint of peach in the air before it tried to clog her throat. Her hand breached the surface, but it was too late she could already feel the air in her lungs being stolen away by something her violet eyes fluttered while they tried to stay open. She felt the sensation of someone pulling her out of the pungent liquid though she couldn't bring herself to do anything she just felt so heavy the last thing her eyes saw was a silhouette looking down at her trying to get her attention before everything went dark.

 _Possibly hours later and at an unknown location_

Raven woke up in a startle and delicate state her violet eyes almost bulging out of her head only to have a wave of nausea and pain come over her reaching her hand up towards her head trying to understand where it was coming from before realizing she was on solid ground…the last thing she remembered was someone grabbing her. Her vision was still blurry another wave of nausea came over her trying to remember where she was or what she had been doing before this the sound of footsteps getting closer trying to wrap her head around what had happened when a muffled voice entered the air. She turned her head eyes squinted trying to see who was talking to her only to hear a slightly muffled laugh before feeling warmth travel through her face the sudden sensations of nausea and pain disappearing along with the haze covering her eyes. While her vision slowly cleared she took in the scene around her taking in the aroma flooding her senses with bright colors mixing in from the blobs taking in that they were all different types of flowers in an array of colors that shouldn't even exist from blue-green hydrangeas to roses that were white and red flourishing around her. She wanted to gape in awe at the beauty, but someone cleared their throat trying to get her attention turning her head towards them only to be taken aback by their presence backing away quickly with green energy licking around their form like a flame.

The silhouette outlined in the green flames seemed to take note that they must have startled the heroine dousing the energy enough to make out who was standing there. Misty gave her a small grin her hazel eyes no longer clouded with a grey haze and her pink hair placed in loose ponytail with a red ribbon flowing along with the energy humming along her body. Her clothes however had taken a change from the normal seemingly grungy look she had been in towards something pleasant a grey shirt with a black trench coat adorned her figure while a pair of black jeans was complimented by a pair of plain sneakers. The violet eyed heroine raised an eyebrow curious of when she had a chance to change when she remembered what they were actually doing along with where they were. Misty seemed to pick up that she actually noticed they weren't in the real world anymore making her sly grin grow a bit more seeming to be please to of caused such a reaction out of the other magic user before her, but the grin slowly started to disappear taking in that she wasn't the only one that changed in appearance. Her voice came out slightly distorted startling Raven for a second, but what surprised her more was she didn't hear the familiar sound of her emotions clambering in her head feeling oddly empty.

"Sorry I should have warned you that the first time is rough on anyone. James I think threw up the first time we even went in here, but you only passed out so it wasn't too bad." Misty spoke positively trying to lighten the already grim situation they were in, but Raven didn't seem convinced. "I'm glad I was able to get in here before you did or you surly would have drowned."

"What was that liquid?" Raven asked curiosity getting the best of her glancing to the side spotting a pool of black rippling in random places before settling once more. "And why do you look different from…what you usually wear?"

"Ah that…I don't know what it is personally I haven't tested the substance, but it seems to have the same consistency as water though if I could guess it's just a way to get into her mind easier." She replied back holding her hand towards her the magic user the energy flickering off of it like it was itching to be expelled. "And to answer your last question it's how she sees us well more of a mental picture I'm in her words a ball of magical energy ready to burst…personally you should look at yourself if you want a shocking change."

Raven looked slightly confused taking the girl's hand letting her help her get up from the spot she had been sitting in during their whole conversation only to have the her quickly take her hand away once she was on her feet. Carefully the other magic user clapped her hands together focusing her energy before expelling it outwards creating a large seal a reflective material soon started to intertwine and create a mirror for the heroine to see what she looked like though personally she wasn't ready. Her mouth was slightly a gaped at the sight of her form seeing her black leotard had been replaced by a pure white one with odd symbols placed on the fabric with grey coloring. Her cloak had taken a drastic change no longer having a cowl to close herself off from the world being clipped in place by two red jewels on her shoulders though there was still enough of the fabric left to be able to cover her body if she wished a light blue hue replaced the dark coloring of the original though her ankle boots were still the same only affected by the color change. Her ashen skin seemed to be brighter and violet features stayed the same her eyes lingering on the golden thin crown on her forehead feeling the weight of the metal on her head…was this how Nightingale saw her truly? Her heart shuttered with the warmth slowly spreading through her body making her look away from the image before her a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks hearing the sound of Misty dispelling the mirror a small smug look appeared on her face.

"Hm…guess she thinks highly of you even though you're almost just like her." She started to walk away from the stunned magic user feeling an angry glare on her back making her glance back though that seemed like it was more of a mistake on her part. "You know I'm surprised she thinks of you like a pure being when you're just as tainted as she is though I think she doesn't even know you're half demon…"

"I am not tainted!" Raven yelled feeling rage bubble up inside her glaring more towards the pink haired girl watching the green energy seeming to spike around her. "We both aren't tainted…just different. You're her friend and yet you say that…"

"You only saw what little the Thorn Maiden could actually do in that hanger so you don't have any room to say that she is a tainted being. I'm saying it being a person who knows what that monster is capable of…I just want Nightingale to be happy." Misty replied back her voice taking on a serious tone her hazel eyes glaring back towards the heroine slightly regretting bringing her along. "Come on we don't have time to squabble over nonsense we have a mind to clear out and a connection to sever."

The girl moved before Raven could even get another word in, but she had a point Nightingale needed them right now and she already felt like she was failing at living up to whatever the black haired heroine thought of her. Carefully she took in a deep breath talking in the flowers around her a calming sensation before following after the girl taking in the sudden feeling that she was alone no longer hearing her emotions talking in her mind sure she wanted to ask about that to her supposed guide, but she didn't want to deal with a snarky comment back. The grove they had been walking through began to melt away the ground crunching under her feet making her look down to reveal an ash covered street that was trying to manifest itself watching walls of brick and cement rising creating buildings from nothing. Her violet eyes glanced over towards the pink haired girl keeping a close eye on her while they navigated the empty streets and narrow alley ways spotting a glowing green ball in her hand seeming to pulsate at random turns or grow dull making them backtrack a few times. Finally the question that had been nagging in the back of her mind soon started to bubble up out of control making her want to voice her opinion.

"Shouldn't we try to find a type of guide other than you? She possibly has a conscience or maybe the Maiden could he-." Raven stopped partially through her own words spotting the other magic user looking towards her in annoyance making her give a glare back.

"Look you really are making me regret bringing you along. The Maiden only helps when it feels the need to not when its host is in danger…she the one causing this anyways." Misty snorted back the annoyance in her voice being picked up so easily that it was echoing against the brick buildings around them. "Besides we're getting close to the first contaminated area…so stay close and be prepared for anything."

The ball in her hand seemed to be going insane growing and shrinking repeatedly before she dispelled it quickly turning towards the dark alley before them moonlight above trying to seep into the pitch black void in front of them, but it was for not. Misty took in a deep breath before rushing forward without warning giving Raven not even a chance to ask what they would be facing making the heroine slightly annoyed move in after her walking through the darkness noticing it seemed to be the same consistency of the pool from the grove they had been in understanding why the pink haired girl took a deep breath in the first place. This time her exposure to the liquid was brief feeling the cold and damp air around her giving her a fresh breath of air to her lungs her violet eyes glancing around taking in that it wasn't an area she had been familiar with making her wonder where she could even be only to hear someone breathing heavily before a light whimper escaped from their throat. Carefully and slowly she moved forward avoiding hitting against anything that was in her path the sound of sirens wailing hit her ears watching the darkness soon come alive with blue and red lights coming from the end of the alley though she couldn't spot her guide anywhere making a small ounce of worry slip into her mind.

Another small whimper echoed in the air making her pinpoint on the noise walking towards the source being cautious remembering what Misty had said moments earlier she really didn't know what to expect would attack her, but that seemed to be thrown to the wind taking in what was before her seeing a girl huddled against a damp brick wall taking bated breaths holding their hands over the middle of their abdomen their head bowed in agony. She couldn't see their face with black hair seeming to swallow their features, but the flooding red and blue from exit of the alley revealed a familiar costume a white bird with its feathers spread out across their chest seemed to be soaked in a dark fluid the smell of iron and roses flooded her senses making her cover her mouth trying to hold back the sudden gasp that wanted to escape. It was Nightingale, but not one she had seen before her costume seemed like a rough concept of what she was now and being a lot younger possibly three years younger meaning…this must be a memory from that night. Raven moved into the light her boots kicking up loose asphalt glanced around spotting a familiar green hue moving between the police cars chasing after someone or something before disappearing once again making her wonder why she was even needed here in the first place.

Her eyes soon moved back to the younger Nightingale injured against the building taking in that she had been spotted by the girl seeing fear in her azure eyes making her breath hitch for a moment taking in the scared teenager before her moving closer wondering how long she was down here in the festering dark before her mentor showed his face? She bit her lip not wanting to interrupt the memory, but she couldn't help the urge to sit down and comfort the girl her emotions no longer seeming to be nagging at her from inside made her suddenly self-conscious of every action…was it like this being a normal person? Not happening to worry about different emotions taking control and powers soon going haywire just because she couldn't handle that one feeling? She walked over sitting down next to the injured girl feeling the damp asphalt underneath her second guessing her decision slowly reaching her hand up towards the girl placing her hand on her shoulder noticing that Nightingale had jumped for a second at the sudden touch or had it been something else? Before Raven could even look she felt someone pull her up roughly from her sitting place seeing Misty glaring at her pulling her away from the wounded heroine reaching her hand out towards the girl spotting a large figure looming over her before the scene was soon swallowed by the darkness once more the area around them changing swirling around the two of them.

The violet haired girl pulled her wrist away once the two had stopped moving glaring towards the other magic user already fed up with her attitude. Her voice came out angry, but she didn't care at the moment it needed to be said. "What is your problem you asked me to be here and you run off doing your own thing?"

"You were a mistake I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm going to send you back and handle this on my own." Misty replied back ignoring her question slightly enraging the heroine grabbing her by the shoulder to turn her towards her to meet an almost equal glare.

"No you've barely told me anything or even trusted me with information on what we are supposed to be doing here. I can't even hear the emotions arguing in my head so I want answers now." Raven demanded seeing the girl's eyebrow raise out of curiosity towards her last comment before a low sigh escaped from her lips.

"We are supposed to be destroying the fragments of what Siren left in Nightingale's mind…meaning she is going to appear in the memories that we go through changing it and affecting her by whispering the words she used to keep the control in place. The first one is the easiest to find though the others are going to get harder and harder to locate, but we only have a two more key memories to go through so I'm going to need another set of eyes. Though you personally might not be able to use your…did you hear something?" Both girls seemed to pause in their argument noticing the space around them had remained a grey haze…Misty's hazel eyes widened her hands burning bright with energy. "Get behind me right now."

Raven moved with a slightly questionable look wondering what she was trying to get glancing around at the incomplete space around them trying to figure out what could possibly have her so ready to fight when she finally heard the noise. A low guttural gurgling noise started to echo around them sound like only one thing was headed their way making Misty's stature relax for a moment only for the sudden false sense of security in her mind to disappear quickly hearing the noise growing louder multiplying by the second. Her hazel eyes moved back and forth trying to keep track of how many of them were moving in on their position, but she stopped counting after ten…why were they attacking now of all times it was just the beginning of the journey they shouldn't. She stopped trying to rationalize things when she heard something stomping loudly towards them making her push the empath out of the way the thing only grazing her back wincing at the burning sensation traveling along her back turning on her heels not skipping a beat by hurling a ball of energy towards the moving figure that had attacked blowing a hole into its side revealing the beasts that were surrounding them. Raven tried to look away, but how could she these things were stuff of nightmares their faces distorted into agonizing and inhuman features darkness covering their bodies' plumes of smoke expelling off their forms with every jerky movement they created. Both girls moved closer to each other their backs pressed together watching more of the abominations creeping out into the green light being generated by burning beast on the ground.

"What are these things?" Raven whispered hearing another thing snarl towards both of them not making a move...like it was waiting for the perfect time to strike seeing the green energy had begun to slowly start dying out.

"Living embodiments of nightmares…they shouldn't be even near the first memory so why they are here in full force?" Misty muttered back her hands creating more magic to be hurled towards anything that would try and attack them though a sense of worry traveled through her mind at what Raven had said earlier. "Keep as close as you possibly can they don't like the light very much. If you just stay close then we won't have a pro-?!"

Misty hadn't been paying attention to their only light source during their little chat seeing that the body the magic filled up on the small amount of energy bubbling from the decayed monster hearing another beast hiss closing in on them making the pink haired girl shoot off another quick round of energy causing it to yelp loudly and back off only to circle once more baring sharp fangs towards the hazel eyed assailant. She glared down at the beast for a moment trying to ignore the sinking feeling entering her chest before glancing at the other magic user seeing her ready to attack if it was necessary, but the feeling only worsened at the realization that was eating her alive inside really hoping she was wrong…no right now she had to focus on getting both of them out of this situation to continue on their window for fixing this was starting to get smaller with each second dealing with these abominations. Living nightmares are harbored in everyone's minds a mixture of their worst fears embodied into a being of pure darkness wanting to swallow everything that could possibly count as a good experience though what she was more curious about had to be why there were so many around them what could they be after…a quick flash went through her mind making her take a very wild and stupidly obvious guess at what they were after looking back towards Raven they wanted her. She didn't know whether to laugh or be displeased that this girl…demon halfling had gotten Nightingale's attention much less her upmost approval meaning she was being knocked off the pedestal maybe she should just let the monsters have her no stop it she gritted her teeth not wanting to be swallowed up right now in thoughts that weren't her own she needed to focus.

Misty was unable to come up with a plausible plan inside her head when she heard Raven make a sound that she wasn't ready for watching a creature using the opportunity to snatch her staying in the heroine's shadow the girl struggling against its grip trying to muster the ability to use her powers, but nothing came of it. No familiar black aura formed in her hands only the same empty feeling inside of her head making panic fill her violet eyes at the sudden realization that she couldn't use her powers...so how was she going to protect herself? She started to struggle even more seeing Misty trying to reach quickly throwing a bolt of energy towards the creature's head making it release the panicked heroine giving off an ungodly screech stumbling back into the darkness once more falling silent green emanating from the area. Raven turned to try and at least give the girl a thank you for the help, but the panic surged once more seeing that more of the monsters had started to converge onto the girl who now was having trouble trying to keep up with each attack being thrown her way though she was only so fast.

"Look out!" Raven shouted rushing forward to at least trying to help the girl slamming into one of the creatures knocking it away, but that hadn't been the one she was targeting seeing it was already too late. The sound of a heavy liquid dripping onto the ground echoed through the air with Misty's hazel eyes opened wide with shock before a red lines started to dribble out from the corner of her mouth her eyes flowing down to where the monster had struck seeing their hand had sunken deep into the center of her chest. She looked back up towards the beast seeing a haunting grin on its face before it started to squeeze her heart a shock running through her system before a sputtered cough escaped from her throat more blood splattering onto the floor trying not to struggle though it wasn't done yet. It soon started to squeeze harder before it started to drag its hand out of her chest making panic flood into the magic user's eyes while she watched in horror as the beast pulled her heart out of her chest making the pink haired girl collapse to the ground coughing and choking on her own blood. Her hazel eyes growing dull the last scene that swallowed her mind was watching the violet haired heroine trying to crawl away fear filling her features before the static started to eat away at her mind.

Raven avoided looking at the body that was on the ground knowing her fate was soon going to be sealed hoping that this would just send her back to her body…most likely that was the case, but would they even be able to come back? She started to feel the warm breath of a creature moving closer to her face making her close her eyes waiting for impact only to hear a sharp cry of pain followed by a whiny whimper swallowed by a choirs of growls. Slowly she opened her eyes feeling something picking her up off the ground the smell of roses and peaches flooded her senses a soft silk fabric could be felt rubbing against her exposed skin making her look towards whomever was holding her. A pale heart shaped face looked down at her purple eyes burning into her own violet ones while a wolf skull headdress was adorned over her white hair cascading down its grey attire trying to make out what it had been wearing only to see a small sly smile appear on their face. It quickly looked away it's eyes steeling over glaring at the abominations that were still lingering around hesitating to move from their spots while the thing holding her placed her carefully on her feet giving her a look like it was asking if she was fine where she stood giving it a quick nod finally being able to see the outfit it was wearing a free flowing silk dress with intricate patterns woven into the fabric. Was this what the demon appeared to be if they actually had a human form? Though thanking it would have to wait until later seeing that the monsters didn't want to give up rushing forwards baring their teeth towards her savior only to have the person lift their arm up their darkness covered hand crashed into the beast's face before gripping onto it tightly a low tsk noise escaped from its throat before it spoke.

' _Burn you wretched creature…ever think of laying a disgusting finger on this girl and I will make sure every last one of you abominations are destroyed._ ' The demon spoke finally its motherly voice dripping with boredom and anger towards happening to deal with this, but it had to be done supposedly making it like a lesson towards the soulless nightmares inside of her heir's head. Purple flames started to lick off its hand that held the monster it started to squirm and cry clawing at the air to try getting the demon to stop, but it was for not soon the body went limp before bursting into a ball of purple flames slowly swallowing the area before her swallowing the other monsters whole. The heat rolling through the area was too much making Raven gasp for fresh air trying to get rid of the haze that was coming across her mind feeling her feet stumble and her vision going blurry falling back for a moment only to feel a strong arm holding her up seeing the demon's face appearing once more in her vision. ' _Whoa hey you don't look so great…_ '

Those were the last words that she heard before Raven fell unconscious wondering if Misty had made her way back to her body now and what would become of her now that she was alone with the demon inside of her friend. The maiden quickly caught the girl giving off a slightly panicked look trying to find at least a safe place for the girl to recover…did it still have smelling salt?

 _Meanwhile outside of Nightingale's mind_

It had been an hour since the two magic users delved into Nightingale's mind making James jittery over what could be going wrong inside her head since he was unable to go along for this run like the ones before more or less he was terrified of the outcome. His answer would soon come when Misty bolted up from her sleeping state reaching towards her mouth covering a rough and horrible cough escaping from her mouth startling Cyborg and Robin who were monitoring Raven's vitals. She removed her hand showing the blood that was dribbling from her mouth making the brown haired boy rush over to see if she was alright, but she ignored him looking down towards her chest seeing that her heart was still in the proper place. Misty glanced over towards where Raven was seeing that her aura was still a pleasant hum meaning she was in there…all alone or…her glazed eyes widened before a curse slipped out of her mouth bolting up from the bed stumbling to go over to Nightingale only to be held back by James.

"Wait stop calm down what happened in there?" James questioned wanting to know why she was so eager to jump back in when he noticed Raven hadn't woken up yet meaning that she was still in there. "Oh gods please don't tell me you left her alone in there what if the nightmares sh-."

"They already showed up and ripped my heart out of my chest…I need to get back in there before it's too late if the Maiden finds out that she is in there…" Misty went silent her glazed hazel eyes looking down towards the ground with the others soon picking up on what she was getting at. James let go of her letting the girl walk over to try and sync her energy once more with the damaged heroine, but she was soon blasted back by an unseen force feeling her back slam against the metal bars on the bed she had been laying on. She already knew what was going on glaring towards the black haired heroine watching her own energy being denied access by something…or rather someone. A low and angry sigh escaped from her throat knowing that she would be unable to help Raven any further so now it was up to what little information she had to fix what was wrong with Nightingale's mind and if the demon was there…it might already be too late.

 _Back inside Nightingale's mind_

Raven's nostrils were soon filled with the bitter smell that seemed to force her to inhale her eyes fluttering trying to understand what the smell could be when a blurry face appeared near hers with a large grin on their face. Before the being could even react however a flat sole of a boot slammed into their face causing them to cry out in pain stumbling away from the girl they had just woken up only for the cry to change into a low hiss covered by the sound of something clattering to the ground. The violet haired heroine scurried back against a wall using it to stand looking at the person bending down trying to cover their injured face with watery purple eyes. The maiden's white hair fluttered around their face while they were trying to compose themselves with their wolf skull headdress lying on the ground next to a roll of smelling salt that had been split down the middle spilling the contents onto the floor. They soon pulled their hands away from their face a decent red boot imprint could be seen on them momentarily, but it was starting to fade away at this point the demon glaring at her for a moment.

' _Geez that's a nice way of thanking someone who saved you from being torn limb from limb._ ' They muttered rubbing their face once more before reaching down and picking the headdress up off the ground dusting it off before placing it back on its normal resting place. ' _And stop looking at me like I'm going to bite you. I may have sharp teeth, but seriously I don't bite…often._ '

Raven watched while the demon snickered at its own joke before stopping when it realized she wasn't laughing along with it making their amused look disappear instantly. The heroine finally had a chance to look around the area they were in seeing more brick and concrete buildings surrounding them the moon trying to peek through the corners trying to at least give off some sort of light though it was failing miserably soon watching a cloud roll by blocking out what little of a source so light was being given making the alley soon become swallowed with darkness. A panicked thought ran through the heroine's head making her worried that the nightmares from earlier would appear once more, but nothing came of it hearing a loud snap with the alley slowly being lit up once again by a purple flame emanating from the demon's fingers. Silence befell the two before the demon turned on its heel to start walking away taking the only light source making the heroine hesitate for a second only to follow behind her getting an odd sense of déjà vu holding her arms against her chest trying to comfort herself.

"Why did you save me? Misty and I would have come back to help get rid of the imprints so why did you-." Raven slammed into the demon's back making herself stumble back seeing the maiden looked back towards her with a slightly bemused grin.

' _Because she would have hated me if I didn't at least try to save you from a sort of demise that is almost as worse as death._ ' The demon replied nonchalantly before moving forward again hearing the soft boots following behind her. ' _I've been watching both of you since you entered her mind and well…after the pink haired brat left I just had to step in to help finish her work._ '

"You could have stopped them from killing her." Raven commented in her monotone speech pattern, but that only earned a laugh from the demon in front of her that sounded bitter giving off an impression that they both really hated each other.

' _Hmph it's her fault that this mess began in the first place…I want to keep my heir safe while she wants her to be normal opposing forces do not get along dear._ ' The demon once again gave a snarky reply navigating through the alley once again spotting the exit a few steps ahead of them. ' _Now let's hold the idle chit chat until we are done shall we? We have two more memories to get through before…I don't want to think of what would happen if we run out of time so just follow my lead._ '

"I can't use my powers I don't know how much of a help I will be…" Raven muttered back holding hugging herself tighter trying to fight off the sudden sensation of being uselessness that was forming at the back of her mind. She only started to feel worse when she started to remember this wasn't the only time she was unable to help just like when she and Starfire swapped bodies while Nightingale had to deal with the brunt of most of the attacks targeted towards them.

' _I will deal with the imprints don't worry just…observe Nightingale get to at least know her better. I know this isn't the best case of doing that, but if you can at least understand what she has gone through maybe your conversations will be a bit better._ ' A smirk once again appeared on the demon's face while the two were walking down the sidewalk towards their destination already seeing the familiar gothic architecture appearing through the modern buildings around it. ' _Maybe you might actually be able to hear her play her guitar up close instead of through a wall or near her open door perhaps?_ '

The demon let out a teasing chuckle seeing the girl look away from her catching a hint of a blush creeping along her cheeks not even questioning how she knew that she had been there that day. Raven noticed the demon had crossed the street towards a large and intricate building making her wonder where they even where when golden letters above the gate gave her a hint at where they were heading seeing "Gotham Academy" scrawled on the iron bars. The metal screeched open with the maiden kicking the gate open the scenery soon changing and molding around them revealing a long hallway with many doors numbers labeled on all of them a few were covered in names as well. Both individuals walked wearily down the hall searching for whatever sign they needed to look for when a light giggle entered through the air making the demon perk up for a second watching something run out of the corner of their eye dash across the other end of the hall making them hold up their hand signaling the other to stop.

' _I spotted the imprint now I need you to get somewhere that you won't be injured stashing you in one of these rooms might help, but which one do I…ah here it is._ ' The demon purred lightly grabbing onto Raven who was about to protest only to be shoved into a room and closing the door behind her. The magic user turned on her heel a slightly annoyed look appeared on her face wanting to at least be of some help during this whole mess, but even that disappeared soon enough hearing the sound of someone stirring behind her taking in that she wasn't alone. She turned her head towards the noise to see someone sitting up in a bed the sound of the mattress springs squeaking lightly while the moon finally peaked through the clouds making a dull silver color float across the room revealing the person's face. She quickly picked up that she was in Nightingale's dorm room noticing she seemed to be a bit older now by a year. Her black hair was a mess sticking up in random places making the violet haired girl want to hold back a laugh that was forming in the back of her throat, but the urge to laugh soon disappeared watching the girl shaking had she woken up from a nightmare?

She continued to watch seeing the girl trying to drag herself out of bed looking taking a ragged breath before a sob rang through the air only to watch the black haired girl bit her lip trying to hold back any more noises that wanted to escape from her throat. The girl used her hand to comb down her hair to a manageable tangled mess before trying to stand her legs shaking taking her first step onto to collapse to the floor her face contorted in agony holding her side left hand twitching slightly seeming to be affected by being landed on. She seemed to be struggling to hold herself up making Raven move without warning towards her carefully helping her up from the floor only to have her halfway up from the ground the girl grabbed onto the desk pushing her away a sensation of hurt dug into her chest.

"I don't need your help…you've done enough to me over the past month." Nightingale muttered under her breath the pain in her voice lingered in the air. Raven wanted to say something hoping that she somehow didn't affect the memory, but a familiar voice filled her ears looking back towards where she was once standing to see the maiden taking the form of its host once more this time though it seemed slightly angry at the girl who was using her desk for support purple eyes boring into darkened azure.

' _If you just let me heal the rest of your injuries then you'll be able to walk better. Don't think I didn't see the nightmare you just had kid…she's not here anymore he made sure that they put her away._ ' The demon replied crossing their arms leaning against the door while Raven glanced back and forth between them wondering what they could possibly be talking about only to realize they were talking about Siren…so this must have happened a while after the first incident. ' _If they had just let me tear her soul to shreds then you wouldn't have to fear her anymore. If you had just let me…_ '

"Let you? Let you! You took control when I was in a weakened state I couldn't…you asked permission at the wrong time when my brain wasn't thinking straight. You violated our agreement…you promised to protect me and you did a shitty job at it…Misty is right about you, you're a monster. I'm glad she made the seals to keep you in check." Nightingale spatted at the demon in anger the creature stiffening at the sudden hostility before rage contorted their features rushing forward and grabbing the girl by her chin making her look them dead in their eyes.

' _ **I was trying to protect you from getting hurt further!**_ ' The demon screeched the room started to rumble softly around them the beast catching on to what it was doing a calm expression changed on their face, but the rage was still apparent in their appearance. ' _You were the one who didn't let me help you when that creature took control of your mind. You were the one too blinded by your so called love towards that girl you wouldn't listen to me when you don't even know the meaning of the word! I promised your mother I would keep you safe and-._ '

"Keep me safe? Ha don't make me laugh you never can keep me safe since mostly the cause of why I get hurt in the first place. Not when I was about to die while I was squandering away in that damn hospital after the Joker and especially when you supposedly saved me all those years ago…you should have just let me die…" She muttered lowly under her breath tearing her gaze away from the demon's eyes the beast looking like it had been taken aback by her last comment before following their host's a pained expression appeared on their features. It disappeared into the air not wanting to say anything else knowing that its face had been enough to make the host regret her words hand out stretched toward where the demon once was. "No wait please don't leave I didn't…please don't go…"

Raven was about to open her mouth wanting to say something knowing that what she was going to say didn't matter and the person she was talking to was already gone. A slight bit of curiosity filled her wondering what the other time was that the demon had saved her…Misty never mentioned it so maybe the demon knew? Before she could even dwell on it any longer a crash could be heard behind her making her rush out to see the demon in its beast form barreling down the hallway after a terrified person pouncing onto them only to sink their teeth into their neck the memory around them started to fade away making her glance back towards Nightingale watching her crumble to the floor the area turning to smoke around her. Raven turned her attention back to the maiden seeing that she had finished the job changing back into her human form glancing back towards her with an annoyed expression.

' _Sorry I didn't want you to see how I disposed of the imprint…I don't think this was an appropriate memory to have you get to know her be-._ ' The demon was cut off by Raven's reply causing the beast to stiffen at the words coming out of her mouth.

"You care a lot about her don't you?" Raven asked seeing the beast slowly get up wiping away something from its mouth possibly blood seeing the body melting away into the darkness along with the memory wondering what the last one would be only to be startled by the demon's voice bringing her back to reality.

' _I care about her as much as she will let me. I feel like I nag her a lot like an older sibling or a mother sometimes, but I just…want her to be safe._ ' The demon responded back walking away waving at her to follow. ' _Come we don't have time for idle things like this we need to-._ '

"In the memory she mentioned something about when you supposedly saved her…from what exactly? And you mentioned something about a promise to her mother." Raven spoke up again the demon turned on it's heel with a slight bit of anger appearing in its features.

' _You maybe someone she cares deeply about, but you have no right to be digging for information on me._ ' The demon sneered at her getting in her face for a moment a frown forming on its face. ' _You don't need to know the things I've done nor how I am trying to make up for the pain I caused to my heir…its bad enough her bloodline is cursed because of me._ '

"What do you mean by cursed?" Raven seemed unfazed by the creature being this close the warm smell of peaches soon flooded her senses…though it made her miss the scent of roses that hung around Nightingale making a small blush appear on her cheeks. The demon looked down at her with an unamused face for a moment letting out a miserable sigh its features soon changing to a disappointed look.

' _Fine…I'll tell you why I cursed her family, but let us walk and talk to the next memory. You are the only person I seem to be able to trust aside from the alien girl…what was her name Starfire with this information._ ' The demon mused trying to sound positive about sharing the information, but there still was a hint of hesitation in their voice moving away from Raven to start walking down the dark path their hand held out with a purple flame in their palm to generate light for the both of them. The heroine didn't pause this time in following after the demon wondering what they were going to start saying first hearing them clear their throat carefully with the hesitation dripping off their form. ' _I…am not like most demons. I enjoy the company of humans over my own kind ever since I was created there was just something about making deals with them and seeing how their world worked that intrigued me. Hunters never paid no mind to me, but if a human I favored came to harm there would be hell to pay seeing as choosing an heir had been a life mission. I've had many lovers both human and demon alike, but there were only two that I truly ever felt deep love for._ '

Raven didn't understand what she was getting at honestly she more was curious about the curse, but she could tell the demon picked up on her eagerness to absorb the information. She rarely ever had contact with another demon let alone being able to talk with one that had possibly been around for centuries maybe even more, but right now it even sounded like it didn't enjoy being the creature it was.

"I don't see how love comes into play of a curse." Raven spoke bluntly not catching the words coming out of her mouth glancing over to see if the demon was annoyed by her response, but she saw nothing.

' _Hm for a smart girl you really are dense on the subject have you ever been in…no wait don't answer that we are talking about me. Love is a terribly powerful emotion and it can cause you to do stupid things…like fall in love with a human you made a deal with unknowingly exposing your human form for him to destroy it._ ' the demon gritted her teeth feeling the memory of him seeping into her mind being that it had been a long while since she had even thought about the wretched man who caused her to lose her form. ' _The Blackwaters…her family were terribly poor and about to lose their fortune. Their youngest child a boy named Jedidiah decided to make his fortune being a hunter like his gypsy ancestors before him…it was a stupid decision. I was a demon he captured by utter accident, but once he learned what I could do for his family it seemed easy to make a deal with him. My supposed heart betrayed me though as I feel in love with the man who captured me…sadly I do not think he felt the same._ '

"So…her family was demon hunters of old why were they never mentioned in any stories?" Raven asked curiosity getting the best of her right now, but that didn't seem to be the right question to ask.

' _No the Blackwaters were just conmen that pretended to expel demons. I was the first one to actually be caught so to speak, but off that small tangent. I made the mistake of binding myself to him, but I was blinded by my supposed love that I didn't care. Once he had used me enough I was thrown aside labeled as a witch and burned at the stake…my mortal form was taken from me in an instant so what did I do since I was still bound to him? I curse his bloodline to always have an heir born every ten years containing demonic blood to become mine._ ' The demon looked down at the ground for a moment stopping in their tracks making Raven pay attention to their features noting the pain that was manifesting. ' _I stayed near their family home watching and waiting as a demonic spirit, but even when a child was born they were immediately disposed of by any means possible leaving me for many years without a technically proper heir…so I waited and bided my time the feeling of waiting too long was torture. Then a girl was born and she…she changed everything._ '

Raven was confused at her last line seeing a small smile grace the demon's lips, but before she could even ask she noticed the area around them had changed once more to a familiar setting of Jump City wondering what memory they would be exploring only for the scenery to change once more to the abandoned hanger that they all had witnessed the extent of what the demon inside Nightingale and it could accomplish together. This memory however seemed to be before the Titans even appeared to invade the space seeing Siren not sitting on her throne and walking around Nightingale who stood there immobilized and under her control stopping only to see part of a glazed azure eye looking towards the girl. A smirk was on the villainess's face tilting the black-haired heroine's face towards her words seeming to hang in the air causing Raven's blood to boil.

"You know the Titans are going to come back for you my dear pet, but I have a new plan. I want to make this city mine take it out from under that masked idiots grasp and control it with an iron fist. What better way to do that than taking control of the heroes who run this town hm?" Her hazel eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief before changing back to a dull look pushing Nightingale away for a moment the mind controlled girl stumbling for a moment. "I mean it's only going to hurt them just once I might have to get rid of the bionic man and the magic user though…maybe I could play with the latter."

"Don't them… Don't touch her…" Nightingale's voice wavered trying to regain control, but a quick slap to the face caused the girl to wince Siren glaring daggers at her for speaking though Raven could feel more rage bubbling up inside of her why hadn't the demon done anything? "You promised…"

"I promised nothing to you. You are useless honestly and that demon inside of you is a joke…oh you're attached to that magic user hm I thought I was the only one." The villainess spoke with bitterness, but Raven had heard enough moving forward past the demon hearing their protest ignoring them completely. She heard a rumbling of voices in her mind trying to focus feeling a sudden familiar surge of energy flowing through her hand stumbling forwards for a moment slamming her fist against the imprints cheek the force amplified by the magical energy spewing form the hit dispersing through them a sudden glaze appeared over their eyes before being swallowed by a familiar black energy the memory slowly starting to dissipate causing a low whistle to escape from the demon's throat walking close to her, but Raven didn't hear her. The flood of emotions echoed in her mind making her hunch over covering her ears trying to control what was going on inside a slight worried look passed over the demon's features getting closer to the girl before placing a hand on her shoulder…that seemed to be a mistake.

A sudden burst of energy expelled from Raven her eyes filling with white overflowing her while the demon struggled with the senses and emotions flooding into their mind. Her empathic powers were looking for an escape something to attach to and what better thing to do than root into the being that had touched them. Raven's eyes soon melted back to the violet color they held looking around seeing the area around them had changed to a barely lit hallway with pictures and paintings adorning the walls. The demon had not removed their hand from her shoulder seeming to grip harder making her wince looking up to see what could be causing it to be speechless. Raven's eyes widened at the knife heading straight for the child cowering in a corner already seeing two or three wounds on their body for attacks that were not witnessed. A sudden urge made her rush forward to get in the way of the next attack seeing it was a high aimed strike hearing the maiden telling her to stop, but it was too late she had already gotten between the figure and the child bracing herself to take the strike.

Her eyes widened feeling the blade enter from her upper chest wincing at the stinging sensation blossoming from being punctured the feeling soon expanded more into utter pain when the weapon was removed making her reach her hands up to cover the wound. An odd liquid bubbled up at the back of her throat wondering what it could be only to feel the blade once again pierce through her lower chest making the unknown fluid to rise even more a metallic taste entering her mouth made her eyes widen at the sudden realization…it was blood. She reached a free hand up to try and stop it from leaving her mouth, but it was for not the red liquid seeping behind her hand dripping onto the floor a rough gasp escaping her throat feeling her legs giving out underneath her clattering to the tile in a heap. Her eyes fluttered for a moment trying to see if the person was still attacking the young child a sudden cold sensation flowed through her body making her shutter a small smile appearing on her face knowing at least she saved the girl…her eyes closed once more swallowing her in darkness though the next time she opened them she was standing next to the maiden once more with their hand on her shoulder confusion slowly spreading in her mind didn't she get in the way or did she imagine that? The sound of the maiden's voice echoed in the hall making her look towards the source her eyes widening at the scene before her looking back towards the demon next to her wondering how she could be in two places at once, but the only logical reason was that it was her memory.

' _Diana no! Dinny look at me please don't…don't leave me please I-I can't…_ ' the demon whimpered out of their mouth on their hands and knees between the girl and the figure that had just plunged a knife into Raven only moments ago stumbled back taking a labored breaths stuttering. It was reaching out towards someone who was lying on their side taking shaky and labored breaths every few seconds the sound echoed in the violet haired girl's mind while a sudden sinking feeling started to bloom from her chest. A woman in her late twenties wearing a blue dress laid on the ground her black hair clashing against the grey tiles underneath her body olive fingers twitched with blood covering their palms her oval face becoming paler by the second with bright blue eyes slowly going dull. The woman seemed to be aware that the Maiden had been talking to her giving her a small sly smile trying to form words from her already weakened state only to get a small cry of pain out the young girl soon scurried out of the dark corner ignoring her own injuries leaning down towards the woman trying to stir her to their feet.

"M-mommy…?" the girl muttered a hiccup escaping soon after with tears expelling from her azure eyes traveling down her cheeks revealing a young Nightingale possibly six or seven years old wearing a green dress with cuts in the fabric and random slashes blossoming with red. Her black hair fluttered into her face the woman reached a shaky arm towards her child another small smile graced her lips moving the hair from her daughter's face.

"Shuush honey it's okay mommy…mommy doesn't have much time left, but I want you to know that I love you and care about your father so much…" The woman's voice came out soft and caring like a mother should in this situation the sound of people thundering down the hall a man shouting at the top of his lungs with a worried hearing Nightingale's real name being shouted her weak smile slowly starting to disappear. "My little Songbird…I love you so much…Amisael… I have one last deal with you."

Both of the thorn maiden's present seemed to stiffen at the name making Raven aware that it had some power over her…was it her true name perhaps? Demons rarely ever shared their names with anyone unless they were forced to expel the information or they possibly had complete trust in the person they had given it to thinking back to when Misty uttered something to the demon when they were looking for Nightingale. She looked back towards the memory wondering why it had so much push even causing the heroine to react in her own way seeing how Nightingale's world came crumbling around her was…heartbreaking reaching her hand up to her chest grasping at the ache shuttering through her body not wanting to look away at the scene before her noticing the demon in the memory was doing something you would ever rarely see from a creature of darkness. Tears were spilling down its pale cheeks their purple and black eyes seemed to be puffy while a low hiccup escaped from their throat trying to respond to the woman on the floor, but soon both the demon next to her and the memory spoke together startling her for a second before listening to what they were saying.

 _'Yes Dinny…?'_ the demon replied their voice sounding low and hollowed with a small sense of hope sinking in to the remnants of their own shattered sense of security already like they knew what was coming. _'Anything for you Diana just say words it and it will be done.'_

"Please…watch over and protect her for me…Amisael I l…" the woman's words faltered before going silent all together her last words soon fading away into the sea of noise making the demon shutter a stiffened cry bending before the woman's face her wolf skull headdress hiding what she was doing. More silhouettes soon started to flood around the situation seeming to ignore the dead woman on the floor trying to stop someone from pushing between people to have a man stumble forward his short light brown hair was slicked back started to come lose in the panic his grey eyes burning with sorrow and rage towards the figure who still had ahold of the murder weapon. He had a medium stature wearing a brown suit with an accent of blue on the undershirt his pale skin seeming to become even more sickly at the sight before him covering his mouth before once again turning towards the murdering the man's stuttering started to kick in saying it was an accident, but the man didn't seemed to be amused moving in to attack when the sound of a gunshot pierced through the air causing the man to stumble for a moment a blossom of red started to expand from his upper right chest making him reach up in shock before another rang out a hole appearing from the center of his forehead making his body clatter to the floor in a heap away from the woman a random bystander holding the gun in the air seemed to be shaking with glee at what they had done.

The sound of a child screaming pierced Raven's ears making her look back towards Nightingale seeing the young girl petrified with utter terror the words on her mouth faltering while the maiden moved quickly changing their form into black specks swirling around the girl catch the groups attention stopping their bickering amongst themselves the fear began to collect in the air towards what was about to happen. Large dog like appendages soon slammed in front of the woman's body thorns slowly moving out from under the tiles causing the crowd to stumble back on their own feet while a large torso with bleached ribs poking out became visible with the familiar wolf skull poked through its eyes glowing with a flaming purple hue large antlers adorned with random carvings different from the beautiful patterns Raven had seen before. A low snarl escaped from their maw fangs bared towards the crowd the demon rushing forward towards them all purple flames spreading through the whole hallway cleansing away the impurities…the screams and the smell of burning flesh flooded Raven's senses making her gag covering her ears trying to block out the sounds the maiden soon getting in front of her trying to make the memory disappear the girl closing her violet eyes not wanting to see anymore. It took a few more moments before the sounds and smells soon dissipated the heroine opening her eyes to see the demon before hunched over their form shifting for a moment turning to face the halfling behind her purple eyes boring into her violet ones with tears streaming down their cheeks only for them to be quickly wiped away.

' _I…I am sorry you had to see that…you must think of me as a monster for what I did, but I did what I had to do to keep her safe they would have killed her that night I-I…_ ' The demon stuttered trying to compose themselves not taking in that the grove from the beginning of Raven's journey started to appear around them. ' _They took everything away from me again…they would have killed her that night and no one would have done anything I…I had to do what needed to be done._ '

"So killing all of them was justice for you? You could have dealt with it in a more humane wa-." Raven was stopped in midsentence by the demon's outburst, but she was taken aback by her words.

 _'They took the woman I loved from me so it was equal trade to take away their pathetic and insignificant lives! I snuffed them out like candles that night and burned that wretched manor to a shambled mess. If I had a physical form I would have protected her better instead of using the blood of the woman who I would have gave up an eternity just to be with…I would have given anything to of save Diana…_ ' The demon's tone through her small explosion of emotions soon started to soften her purple eyes starting to build up with tears once more just thinking about her. The demon reached up to where her heart should be grasping at her dress looking away from the halfling with a pained expression a small thumping noise could be heard in her ears for a moment, but it soon fluttered away leaving her empty inside once again. _'I would have given up my immortality to keep her alive…but it would have been something she wouldn't have wanted._ '

"You really cared for her…"Raven seemed slightly in awe that a demon cared this much about a human, but then again her own mother had been used as a pawn…no she didn't want to think about that right now. "So…why did you never tell her?"

 _'What a demonic being with no physical form telling a human who's family she cursed that she was madly in love with her_?' A slightly bitter laugh came out of the demon's throat before a sad look morphed onto their features once more. _'No it wouldn't have worked. Besides she loved Cedric her husband…even if he was a lying, dirty and a good for nothing cheat he still made her happy. If someone you love is happy why would you want to ruin that by professing your love over a silly infatuation?_ '

"But in the memory she was about to say she lo-." Raven was once again cut off by the demon holding up her hand a hurt look passed across their face for a second knowing what she was trying to say. A small flash of a memory passed through the demon's head of that night once again remembering what she did once Diana had tried to utter her last words her lips felt cold against her own no longer holding the precious life she cared about. She knew what Diana was trying to say that night and it hurt knowing that…that the woman truly and quite possibly loved her back more memories flooding in her mind making the dull thump appear once more in her chest making a wince run through her features gripping her chest tighter and tighter. Another memory seemed to roll off the demon's mind catching Raven off guard for a moment seeing the grove around them changing into a garden birds chirping around in the midsummer sun.

The woman from before could be seen holding something in her arms wrapped in a white blanket while a simple white sundress their black hair cascading down their back that was turned towards them staring up at a large tree its roots extending above the ground while peach blossoms fluttered in the air spotting a familiar figure sitting on one of the branches. The maiden looked down a smile appeared on her face jumping down from the branch they had been perched on landing gracefully onto the grass below their form flickering for a moment walking towards the woman who finally turned revealing Diana looking to be in her early twenties now a warm smile on her face her bright blue eyes looking into the demon's purple ones with a small sense of longing that quickly flickered away. Curiously the demon looked at the thing in her arms a worried expression crossed her face before they spoke towards the young woman.

' _Dinny you had me worried…you've been gone for ten months I was starting to worry something happened to you…_ ' The demon's voice waved her emotions visible seeing that they had missed her in that time a minor blush crept onto its pale features. ' _You better have a good explanation for why you've been gone so long._ '

"I promise Amisael it was for a good reason I wanted…to tell you when I found out, but Cedric wanted to keep her a secret from the others." Diana replied to the demon's worries a warmth enveloped Raven hearing her voice. It was soft and sweet at the same time nothing like her daughter's tone, but there were hints there in her speech thinking back to the many times Nightingale had spoken she had taken greatly after her mother in more ways than that.

' _That skirt chaser couldn't keep a secret if he tr-…what do you mean by her?_ ' The demon questioned their eyebrow raised a bit looking towards the bundle in her arms seeing the Diana tilt it towards her a bit for a better look the its eyes widened at the sight of a baby squirming slightly under the swaddle they were in. The beast took a few steps back with Diana giving her a worried expression for a moment the demon glancing away from her for a moment. ' _Diana…why didn't you tell me?_ '

"We both wanted her to be a surprise, but it was more for my sake I wanted to tell you…everyone else was getting suspicious we had to leave I didn't mean to…" Diana stopped for a moment seeing the maiden had moved closer once again looking down towards the tiny human wrapped in the blanket sleeping soundly while they spoke an arm free from the wrapping with little fingers grasping at the air. It seemed hesitant at first, but it lifted a darkness covered hand towards the baby gently tracing its fingers along the chubby arm before one was grasped onto by the baby. A sudden hitch in the demon's throat caught making the woman smile towards it seeing the bonding moment happening before her watching the maiden slipping her finger out of the child's grasp. "Do you want to hold her?"

' _I…I can't Dinny she's too pure I can't hold her b-besides I can only stay solid for only a few mome-._ ' Amisael's words and stutters faltered seeing that she wasn't going to give up until it held the child a low and shaky sigh escaped from the demon's throat their form changing to a more solid look holding out its arms in a position where the baby would be held properly. Diana carefully handed the child to it the weight shifting a bit on their arms staring down at the innocent being in its possession the baby still fast asleep. ' _She's beautiful…just like her mother._ '

Diana blushed towards the demon giving her a smile easing the tension that had built up on the beast body a longing look passed between the two the human woman moving closer to the demon who became distracted by the baby opening their eyes revealing a familiar pair of azure blue eyes looking up into its purple orbs. It looked up towards her mother seeing that she had moved closer entering her personal space her face so close to…the demon looked away quickly not seeing the hurt look passing across the human's features before returning to a smile. Raven noticed this confirming already in her mind what feelings Diana really had towards the demon seeing that both were struggling to do what they wanted being limited.

"Amisael…can you make a promise to me? If I'm not there to protect her at any time in her life…please keep Celine safe for me. Protect her like you did when I was growing up can you promise me that?" Diana asked catching the demon off guard looking towards her once more its features speechless for a moment giving off a small and shaky nod towards the woman.

' _I promise to protect her like she was my own Diana…being that she is my only heir to survive past the others. I won't let you down I promise you that._ ' Amisael spoke confidently looking towards Diana once more feeling Celine squirming in its arms holding it out towards their mother once more them taking her gingerly from the demon's possession, but not before catching the demon off guard by moving closer blocking what the heroine could see only to see the beast's cheeks flushed pink answering her question on what Diana had done.

The memory faded once more the demon looking towards her with hollowed purple eyes trying to drown the emotions that were wanting to bellow out seeing hints of sadness peeking through before masking it completely away. It cleared their throat holding a hand out towards Raven who took it carefully feeling the demon taking her back to the tiny little pond she had entered in with Misty at the beginning of all this her back towards it looking back at the demon seeing their features soften for a moment. It reached a darkness covered hand towards her tilting her head up catching the violet eyed girl by surprise for a moment seeing the beast so close to her face pressing their forehead against hers for a moment before pulling away.

' _I thank you halfling for your efforts in helping rid her mind of the imprints left by that disgusting creature, but I have a warning for you. Don't you dare ever…hm I think I will hold onto that for now your time is almost up and she is about to awake._ ' The demon responded confusion filled Raven's mind before she felt something push her towards the edge of the pond her arms flailing while she was plunged back into the darkness feeling the liquid no longer wanting to suffocate her while a warm flood flowed through her body once more closing her eyes letting the dark material swallow her whole. Static started to fill her mind once again hearing the chatter of her emotions humming softly in her mind wondering how much longer it would be until Nightingale woke up after her?

 _Outside of Nightingale's mind once again_

The two male titans looked over at their teammates with worry before seeing Misty pacing back and forth in front of them a look of impatience crossed her features looking towards Nightingale's form seeing the aura around the girl was slowly starting to mend making her stop in her tracks rushing towards the still sleeping black-haired heroine. Raven's fingers twitched giving signal for the Titans to move towards her seeing her eyes slowly opening being blinded by the infirmary lights above her sitting up slowly a headache forming in her mind. She took a quick glance over towards Nightingale seeing the green aura around her slowly dissipating her features returning to normal the pained expression that had formed in her sleep slipped away to a calmed one. A sudden sense of relief to fill her chest a sudden emotion welled inside of her making her want to rush over and hold the heroine in her arms, but she composed herself her face reading a blank expression hearing the boys around her asking questions to what happened. A low groan entered the air catching everyone off guard turning towards Nightingale watching her eyes fluttering open looking up towards Misty and James who had crowded around her the pink haired girl quickly moving in for a tight hug causing a squeak to escape from the heroine's throat while silence filled the air. Azure eyes looked over to meet with violet orbs a blush appeared on both the girl's cheeks looking away from each other for a moment before Nightingale looked back once more watching her brush some of her violet hair away from her eyes a warmth started to spread through her chest just looking at her now...she bit her lip trying to keep the thoughts to herself for now they didn't mean anything right?

Misty made quick work of moving everyone out of the room just leaving the three of them there Nightingale looking into her glazed hazel eyes for a moment only to look away. The pink haired empath sighed for a moment knowing what the girl was going to say and not liking it already passed through her mind. James looked between the two feeling the tension entering the air while the slow beeps of the heart monitor echoed around them piercing the pregnant silence. A rough sigh escaped from the heroine's throat being the first one to speak out of the three.

"You know I'm grateful for you helping and healing my mind, but I'm not going back to Gotham…not for a long time Misty." Nightingale muttered towards her looking her straight in the eyes now. "No matter what you say I'm still going to stay with the Titans and there is nothing you ca-?!"

She felt a sudden pressure being applied to her left arm once again remembering the same burning sensation while it traveled across her skin knowing all too well what Misty was doing. She looked to see three fingers were already pressing the golden intricate symbols back into her arm the pink haired girl staring at her unamused by what she had said, but if she wanted to stay there was no way in stopping her. Misty moved close to her face a sudden prickling sensation covered Nightingale's body for a moment at her words not knowing if what she was saying was an empty threat or she actually meant it.

"Oh I know I can't convince you to come back, but if you break these seals again without any consent to do so I will come back here and drag you to Gotham kicking and screaming if I have to." Misty's voice boomed for a moment in her ears before the pain subsided in her arm the seals blending in with her skin before dissipating completely her grip loosening. "James come on let's go home shall we? Please try and stay in contact with us once you get a new phone and a computer if possible…I don't approve of you staying here, but I have to deal with your decision."

The two hooked arms for a moment dissipating in a green flash of light leaving Nightingale alone with her thoughts hearing the familiar hum of the demon inside calming down seeming to be muttering about the seals being placed on them once more before a wave of sleep fell over her once more…it wouldn't hurt to take a nap right now honestly she felt exhausted. Her azure eyes fluttered closed the warmth spreading through her once again her thoughts lingering on a certain violet haired heroine before drifting off to sleep peacefully.

 _A day later night fall_

Raven sat quietly in her room reading through a book she had randomly taken off herself moments ago her mind lingering on a certain black-haired heroine while she reread the same paragraph over and over again. Nightingale had recovered quickly from her wounds with a combination of both her own healing abilities and a mixture of Raven's powers giving some relief to all the members of the team though she wondered where the two guests had gone off to getting a vague answer from the healed heroine. An annoyed look passed across her face slamming the book closed trying to ignore the thoughts going through her head about a certain cheeky heroine feeling the warmth bubbling in her chest while her heart beat sputtered for a moment. She was soon distracted watching something wisp by her window the curtain peeled back to reveal the large moon peeking through the clouds making her move from sitting on her bed to looking out towards the ocean seeing something skimming across the top of it for a moment. Her violet eyes squinted trying to make out the shape seeing it moving closer towards the tower her eyes widen seeing it growing larger and disappearing for a moment only for a humanoid shape with large wings skimmed over the glass catching a familiar figure attached to them. She hesitated for not knowing if she should even check to make sure that it was her, but it soon washed away feeling her legs moving on their own towards her door opening it trying to keep quiet and moving towards the stairs that lead to the roof of the tower.

Raven could hear her emotions clambering in her mind though she tried to ignore them biting her lip gently while she continued on her way up the stairs finding herself already at the door leading to the roof. Her hand hesitated once again reaching for the knob taking in a sharp breath opening it quickly being swallowed by the cold air around her stepping out to see that her assumption was right. Nightingale stood turned away from the gaze of the moonlight her large wings stretched out with a pleasant smile appearing on her face feeling the wind rushing between the feathers a breath hitched in Raven's throat even being the heir to a demon's linage she looked like an angel to her. A blush creeped onto the magic user's face trying to remove the thought from her mind seeing that the heroine had noticed her presence a warm smile had been turned towards her making it worse her emotions bubbling inside.

"What are you doing out here?" Raven asked trying not to let a stutter escape from her lips while she moved closer to the other heroine taking in that she had changed from her costume to something casual a tank top covered her upper body while she wore a pair of work out shorts on her lower half. More thoughts started to creep into her mind trying to shush them away hearing Nightingale's response was enough to distract her from it.

"I'm just testing out my abilities I'm sorry if I woke you up Raven." She replied casually rubbing the back of her head apologetically seeing that she was moving closer to her a warm smile still plastered on her face towards the cloaked heroine. "I…I never got to thank you for helping me with my little problem."

"You don't need to thank me Nightingale. You're my friend I would do anything for you." She responded without hesitation both being caught off guard by her words making the nervous magic user wanting to change the subject reaching her hand towards Nightingale's wings. "These are interesting are they real…?"

Before Nightingale could answer the question a shutter went through her body seeing that the girl had placed her hand on one of her wings a shocked look passed over the violet eyed heroine's features noticing how soft the feathers were her fingers absentmindedly moving down hearing a gasp escape from Nightingale's throat her body shuttering once more before her cheeks burned with warmth making her dispel the wings quickly covering her face trying to cover the sudden bliss that entered her features recovering only moments later with a bit of pink still dusting her cheeks.

"T-They are real and very sensitive so please…don't touch them." The girl stuttered out of her mouth seeing Raven watching her out from the corner of her eye with silence soon swallowing them. The cloaked heroine moved closer to her without warning the two both being able to see their cheeks were flushed, but both were soon taken aback by what the heroine would say next.

"Nightingale I…I saw all those memories. I know I can't understand the feelings you were going through when they were happening, but I," Raven hesitated for a moment trying to come up with the words to say feeling her own mind drawing blanks until the song Nightingale had been singing in the memory fluttered into her mind. "I promise you I will protect you to the best of my ability from the darkness inside of what you fear you'll become…I will be the light that sheds away the darkness like a friend should do."

"Raven…" She muttered gently feeling her heart flutter suddenly at what the heroine had said not knowing what she should do with this information it was so sincere coming from her. Nightingale looked into Raven's violet orbs seeing a flow of emotions whirling through them making her move closer the smell of lavender filling her senses becoming intoxicating by it. She was so close to…she snapped out of It quickly pulling her head away from Raven's a sudden surprised look passed between both of their faces was she about to? Her cheeks burned turning her face away from the heroine who seemed confused at what was going on before stuttering a quick apology to her rushing off towards the door into the tower Raven trying to stop her, but it was too late watching her descend down the stairs with the hinges creaking closed.

Raven found herself exhaling a shaky breath understand that she had been holding it in the whole time Nightingale had moved closer to her. Her body slowly started to shake not understanding what would have happened her chest suddenly bursting with warmth while the aches soon replaced it. She found herself biting her lip looking back to where the heroine had exited...what would have happened if she hadn't stopped herself? Her emotions rung wild in her head trying to wrap some sense around what might have happened, but a ragged sigh was all that escaped sensing how tired she had been waiting a few more seconds looking back at the dark starlit sky only to retreat into the tower her mind lingering on the hint of roses that fluttered in the air at her being so close.

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 ***sniffles trying to wipe the tears from my eyes* I'm not crying you are. Like god I was just bawling typing the demon's memories like…its so sad. Also I hope it wasn't too bad of a chapter because it is 26 pages long…I'm not joking it's the longest chapter I have ever done. Be proud of me please haha.**

 **Um…hehe they were about to…haha please don't hate me for that I hate faking you guys out, but It was the perfect way to end the chapter like oh my god I awed and blushed while writing the little small uber small amount of fluff between the two of them like my baby is growing into a woman! You guys don't understand like I can read smut and be fine, but fluff gets me really bad I can say I am possibly not the only one hmmm~?**

 **Hey I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter please PM me or review.**

 **Anri out.**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Hi guys look it's another chapter of** _ **The Nightingale's Song**_ **so please bear with me it might be a long chapter again, but I don't think most of you have a problem with that anyways. This time we are going back to an episode chapter hope you enjoy it and WE ARE NOW ON THE SECOND SEASON. *coughs* So that means I will be bringing in Terra and you will see how Nightingale reacts to her which it won't be negative promise I mean not until later on, but that is for another time to chat about hm? Ah also I have changed my username and somehow got a Wattpad…? Yeah I don't know why either it's just there now, but you can still call me Anri if that is much easier. Well we shall get on with the rest of the Authors note before slipping into the chapter.**

 **This chapter is the episode** _ **How Long is Forever?**_ **And my gosh guys you'll get to see Nightingale as an adult all grown up at 36 or 37 because it's a 20 year time jump so like…honestly I am proud of how she came out. She might look a bit different, but again this is an alternate timeline so in the future she might not look like that at all. It's a possibility I haven't decided yet on her grown up appearance. Just enjoy seeing her that way you know? Again this is going to follow the episode and you'll see how the titans fall apart after Star's disappearance into the future whooooo how has everyone been for twenty years? Because I have fun stuff to touch on hope y'all enjoy how I approach this though if I am telling the truth to all of you I had a hard time deciding on how Starfire would meet Nightingale again though I found a simple option.**

 **Oh and I apologize for the wonderful almost thing that happened at the end of the last chapter like once I posted it a part of me felt dead inside questioning why I did it…until I realized I just wanted to and it seemed like a good way to end the chapter so to all the people who were internally screaming at that. Hehe I am completely sorry about it so I promise no other incident like that will happen again in this chapter. Okay I am probably lying there so haha look forward to another wonderful moment at some point in the near future.**

 **Ah aside from that I have been doing much better and my mind has been clear lately so I haven't had anything I didn't want popping up to enter my mind. Yeah its just a small update on my own mental health though that's not what y'all are here for lol.**

 **Kinda a warning? I'm going into fun depression thoughts and breaking down my character to an almost former shell of themselves so please don't be mad and if you cry I am sorry.**

 **Oh hey even though this is an M rated story I am going to warn you at the beginning there will be mention of a dream. That mention of a racy dream is my horrid attempt at trying to add something of a lemon…? I think it counts as one I really don't know you guys can decide? I am again horrible at lemons like please I had to have someone at least help me with this and that again goes to a wonderful user on here who I have to thank once again. Rizzlesmyiles again you are an awesome reader and a great friend so really thank you for helping me a bit with how to start this chapter!**

 **Okay onto the disclaimer now let's see here…**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I never will that is owned by the big wigs at cartoon network and DC. I only own Nightingale, the Thorn Maiden and well that's about it aside from their back stories like seriously.**

 **On with the wonderful and lovely show my darlings.**

 **Oh leave a favorite the story to stay updated on when I get a new chapter up. Leave a review or PM me if you want to I enjoy hearing your feedback on the story itself so please don't be shy!**

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 **Chapter Seventeen: How Long is Forever?**

Sunlight was starting to creep in through the grey colored drapes dust dancing in and out of the beams of light towards a sleeping figure that was starting to squirm under their sheets. A few moments passed before they bolted up from the bed revealing the familiar messy hair of a certain tan skinned heroine breathing heavily running her fingers through her a few damp strands trying to calm her nerves. Her sleep clothes clung to her frame the sticky sensation running along her exposed limbs making her feel disgusted for a moment, but the reason she felt like this was starting to burn bright in her mind. Pieces of her dream slowly started to meld into her mind once more her cheeks becoming brighter a low groan escaping from her lips wishing that the images would stop, but now it seemed like her own brain was against her at the moment. The feelings…the sensations flooding her mind were enough to make her want to squirm trying to get the images once again out of her head a sudden chill ran up her spine looking around to see a certain demon sitting at the edge of her bed giving a large grin towards her. She looked away from the beast not wanting to hear its teasing these dreams had been happening ever since Raven…she bit her lip feeling her mind already slipping back to the images created by her sleeping form her face burning at the thoughts.

It felt so real the tingling sensation that passed through her fingers tracing along the surprising softness of Raven's skin. The feeling of her body pressed against hers and the heat of skin to skin contact made her sudden interest turn into a panic no she shouldn't be thinking of her like that quickly grabbing a pillow and shoving her face into a muffled scream of some type of frustration it was hard to really tell what kind it could possibly be. A laugh echoed through the room making her look up from trying to smother herself out of embarrassment towards the sort of dream she had been having the past week of her recovery always waking herself up before it really heated up. The maiden grinned at her eagerly wanting her to say what was on her mind noticing the demon had started to take its own form outside of the little pocket she stayed in spotting a wolf skull headdress adorned on her heart shaped features. Her outfit changing to a flowy white dress that hung off their frame a bit with intricate pieces sewn in with grey stitching. Hell even from where they were sitting in the light slipping into the room she could even spot that it didn't have her childish features anymore, but another shiver ran up her back staring into the purple orbs like it the creature was waiting for her to speak though it beat her to the punch on that matter.

' _Have another one of those dreams kiddo? How far did you go this time hm?_ ' it asked another cackle rippling through the air making her frown towards being teasing its host had become some sort of game that was driving Nightingale up a wall. She gritted her teeth out of anger hurling the pillow towards the demon before getting up hearing it softly thud against the ground making a guess that they weren't solid picking out a clean costume for the day , her utility belt and a towel with a few other essentials…she needed a nice cold shower. She heard the demon behind her a teasing tone once again entering their voice, but she ignored it passing through the threshold of her door knowing that it would disappear soon letting her ears and mind fill with utter silence for a moment.

Carefully she took a small breath moving towards the bathroom hearing music traveling down the hall from the ops room, but she wasn't curious about that right now a shower was way more important than someone playing music. Discretely she knocked hearing no one reply making her glad she wasn't interrupting someone opening the door moving into the bathroom with ease the sliding door closing behind her with a soft thump. She stripping off her sweaty clothes and throwing each item into the hamper shivering at the cold air around her before moving towards the shower turning it on, but not going past the lukewarm setting knowing at some point she'd be switching between both warm and cold water at this point. She took small steps into the shower closing the curtain behind her a small squeak escaped from her throat while the water cascaded down her back finally getting used to the feeling of the droplets hitting against her skin.

Her mind slowly started to wander back to Raven making her quickly change the water to cold a sharp gasp escaped from her throat gritting her teeth trying to hold in the scream that wanted to come out god how could she even think of her like that? They were just friends so why was she having all these dreams over one small incident where she didn't warn her about her wings, but Nightingale knew there was more to it. She almost kissed the magic user that night and what would have happened? Sure a small part of her wished that she had actually done it, but the after math…she really didn't want to think about that if she was being honest with herself and just wanted to be friends with the violet haired heroine not anything more. Though her thoughts were soon disrupted by the familiar sound of the demon in her head trying hard to ignore its words

' _Lying to yourself isn't going to change anything kid, but you can keep doing so until your face turns blue._ ' She heard the demon's words echo in her mind…no it was a small crush right? It would go away and she wouldn't have to worry about the dreams anymore. Just burying the feelings deep inside her mind would be enough to ignore those odd growing feelings towards her…god this was going to be difficult. She finally changed the water to a more warmer and suitable setting before washing her hair then moving to her body getting all the suds off quickly not knowing if she was going to be needed for a patrol later on. She turned everything off grabbing her towel to begin drying off before getting out and throwing on the necessary parts of her costume leaving her gloves and mask to be put on last. She checked herself over making sure her outfit was decently put together clipping her belt around her waist hearing the satisfied click of the buckle reaching for the gloves on the counter pulling them tightly over her hands before being satisfied they would stay on. Carefully she picked up the mask placing it on her face to finish the look though her hair was still a bit damp it wouldn't be a bother stepping out of the bathroom hearing the soft sound of her boots hitting against the carpet made her feel normal again. No more trying to find a lost friend, dealing with Siren's bullshit or almost being on the verge of dying though the new scar on her side lower abdomen still stung the more she thought about the events that had happened in the past week with Raven once again assaulting her mind a light dust of pink covered her cheeks for a moment.

She took a deep breath hearing the ops doors open though it wouldn't be peaceful hearing the sound of music blaring loudly in her ear that didn't seem tasteful to Beast Boy and Cyborg shouting about a video game that they were playing already started to ruin her semi-peaceful state of mind. Nightingale could already feel a migraine coming on while her eye slowly started to twitch taking in another deep breath trying to focus on who all was in the room seeing that the whole team was there with Robin the one blaring the tasteless music through the whole area possibly trying to block out the two who were arguing over their video game, but her eyes met a certain violet eyed heroine who seemed just as annoyed as she was towards the who debacle and she had just only entered the room. She carefully walked down the steps noticing Starfire her bubbly nature just rolling through the tension in the air moving towards the boys hearing snips of their argument about who was playing the game, but honestly she really didn't care feeling a pair of eyes on her once again glancing over towards Raven seeing her eyes averting back towards the book she was reading making her slightly nervous why had she been watching her? Both girls were heavily avoiding each other since that night on the roof and personally she didn't know if it was for the better though her mind soon shifted accidently running into Starfire's back catching the girl's attention making her turn around. The sound of bells filled her ears seeing her hands holding many necklaces that jingled when she moved along with a few gifts in her hands wearing a wide grin on her face she seemed to be radiating happiness.

"Friend Nightingale! Happy Blorthog!" She cheekily said holding out one of the necklaces towards Nightingale, though she was slightly confused by the words that had exited her mouth. Before she could even ask what that even meant she felt the metal necklace being placed on her silently glad that it wasn't iron*. "It is the joyous holiday celebrating friendship on my home planet of Tamaran."

"I um…Thank you Star it's really sweet of you to give me this…" The words fumbled out of her mouth trying to figure out what this thing was around her neck hearing the jingling sound coming from it. She was really trying, but again her brain was having trouble catching up with her mouth at the moment so her words soon transformed into soft mutters while she looked towards the ground at least trying to show she was at least thankful for the gift. She raised her head to see that the alien girl was smiling happily at her making the slight amount of anxiety that had been forming in her brain dissipate Starfire had such a positive effect on her mind almost making her forget about the dream from earlier…well almost.

Ever since she had gotten better Starfire rarely left her side well that was pushing it honestly she kept checking to see if everything was alright. The alien girl was worried truthfully all of them were since Robin wanted her to still be on bed rest after it all happened knowing what toll the mind control had on her brain, but she continued to reassure everyone that she was fine and honestly the rest wasn't needed…not with these dreams happening constantly. She took the necklace off when Starfire turned away from her to pay attention to the boys placing it gently onto the counter catching out of the corner of her eye that Star was trying to offer one of the necklaces to Cyborg, but he was still fighting Beast Boy for the controller only to be over taken by the green imp changing into an octopus pulling the bionic man back with a loud thud shaking the entire room for a moment. An audible sigh escaped from Starfire's throat dropping her items onto the ground seeing a few gifts that were different colors possibly coordinated for each titan…did she make them or buy them if it was the latter than how? The questions slowly started to eat her up inside wondering if she had gotten to her credit card again meaning she might have to check the most recent purchases not that she minded honestly at least someone was having fun with the money. She spotted Beast Boy was now on the back part of the couch mashing the buttons on the controller making Nightingale wince a bit at how the device was being treated hearing Starfire trying to talk to him.

"Many blessings friend! May your ears be filled with sugar candies and…?" The poor alien girl was soon cut off in her little speech by Cyborg yelling the green imp's name while he continued to play the game without even looking towards the screen making Nightingale slightly impressed.

"Look I'll give you the controller back once Raven gives back my nail clippers!" Beast Boy yelled back at the bionic man completely ignoring Starfire to glare over at the magic user for a moment. Nightingale shivered for a moment remembering the time she accidentally walked in on him clipping his toenails…god how could a human even let them get that long in the first place? She continued to watch the boys' antics for a moment seeing that the green boy had once again been captured by the bionic man trying to get the controller from his grubby hands. Starfire's attention however was now drawn to Raven who was now glaring at the two idiots continuing to squabble over nothing her violet eyes catching a glimpse of azure ones for a moment before giving a response to Beast Boy.

"Not going to happen. How else am I supposed to keep your toenails off the coffee table?" Raven responded with irritation melding into her voice, but that wasn't a decent point to make.

"Raven I really don't think it's a sound thing to keep his nail clippers away from him it's…" Nightingale began to speak up only to earn a glare from the magic user making her shut her mouth hearing the demon whispering in her mind that she was already whipped changing her slightly terrified to an annoyed expression though this made the Raven think it was directed towards her.

"Do you have a problem with my decision?" She questioned an angry tone entered the air making the black haired heroine slightly uncomfortable, but she could at least explain why she didn't agree.

"Look all I'm saying is it's not a smart decision to keep that away from him. Yeah it's annoying that he keeps clipping his nails on the coffee table like a heathen," She heard a response of protest from Beast Boy, but she ignored it continuing on. "But I don't want to hear his nasty nails tapping against any hard surface any time soon."

Both soon started glaring daggers at each other with Nightingale sensing the tension rising even further making her glance around at the others in the room how long have all of them been at this? She heard Raven let out an irritated sigh guessing that this had been happening most of the morning, but this were easy solutions for each problem though she didn't understand what was wrong with Robin. She carefully watched Starfire glance over at her before looking back towards the violet haired heroine seeing that there was a possible chance that she might have to save the latter from the magic user's wrath. Carefully Star approached her with a warm smile on her face not seeming to be affected yet by how the cloaked heroine was feeling though if the alien girl possibly needed back up she could at least help her out of the situation.

"Happiness and delight my friend! On this wondrous day I wish you sunshine and funny…" Her perky voice soon stopped noticing Raven's eyebrow had started to twitch giving Nightingale the signal to step in grabbing the alien girl by her shoulders milling her back away from the angered empath hearing a soft weak laughter escape from her throat. Though honestly her attention was soon drawn to where the music was being expelled seeing Robin with his back towards everyone being enveloped by the waves of the tasteless music changing tracks once more to something worse.

"Robin could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think." Raven commented with irritation still threading in her voice towards their glorious leader. Nightingale turned to see that Beast Boy and Cyborg were still having a tussle over the controller hearing their shrilled bickering mixing in with the music a twinge of a migraine had started to form in the back of her head though from Robin's response he seemed honestly ticked over what was going on.

"I only turned the music up TO DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!" He responded with heated anger towards the others and that's when the tension in the air snapped around them delving into a mess of arguments from multiple sides leaving Starfire and Nightingale out of the fray.

A heavy sigh escaped from Nightingale's throat reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose out of irritation finally understanding why the cloaked heroine seemed to share the same emotions, but according to Starfire it was a festival of friendship on her planet today so they should at least act like they could get along. Though even she knew this all was normal amongst people who are around each other constantly honestly it wasn't even that bad the girls' dorm at Gotham Academy was much worse if she had to compare. Her thoughts soon changed however hearing Beast Boy give out a quickly panicked response turning her head to see what he had been going on about wasn't enough of a chance to reach when the controller they had been fighting over slammed her in the face. A low hiss escaped from her mouth reaching up to where the piece of plastic had hit her hearing Starfire's voice asking her if she was alright hearing the others still arguing though her own interest shifted to the controller picking it up off the ground slowly the sound of Beast Boy's voice mixed into the air while he was wrestling to get out of Cyborg's grip. She ignored the people around her anger already bubbling up inside her chest at the pettiness around her god why did they all act like children?!

In one quick motion she snapped the controller into two pieces hearing the two boys gasp in shock at their entertainment had now been destroyed, but she wasn't done yet. She dropped the pieces onto the ground hearing them clatter softly against the carpet while she moved towards them and grabbing both boys by one ear a low snarl escaped from her throat causing both of them to shutter wondering what she was going to do next. Her voice sounded rough and raspy making her wonder if it had enough of their bickering as well, but the words spilled out of her mouth anyways not caring at the moment.

"Can you all stop bickering like damn children?! Hades I've about had enough of all of you and I just woke up not thirty minutes ago!" Nightingale shouted towards the boys, but mainly it was towards everyone in the room though Robin was the first one to speak after her small outburst.

"Sorry we interrupted your beauty sleep, but I can't work with these two acting like idiots!" he responded back just as heated looking like steam was about to spout out of his ears. Nightingale glared towards him going around the couch dragging the boys along with her hearing their pained cries of being pulled by the ear purple flames licking off her presence every now and again reacting to her anger.

The bickering match between everyone soon started to reach a head with both Nightingale and Robin shouting at each other's throats while the others soon joined in. Starfire looked between all her friends a fearful expression passed across her features the necklaces she had been holding fell to the floor. She felt the urge to try and calm her friends down, but how they were already at the point of almost throwing fists at each other though Beast boy and Cyborg's ears were possibly about to tear off by the force the black haired girl had been applying to them. Possibly saying words might help, but even if everyone was shouting it didn't hurt to at least try to have her own input after all it was Blorthog a happy festival on her planet that she wanted to share with the people she had grown fond of on the planet that she had called home.

"Friends please! You must not…" Her voice was soon drowned out once again by the bickering making her take note that Nightingale's body was slowly starting to have the familiar black specks melding off her frame. "I-If we could simply…Happy Blor…?"

The sound of the bells from the necklace started to roll and jingle slightly only to hear one being crushed under a boot watching Nightingale slip for a moment losing her grip on both Beast Boy and Cyborg's ears giving them sweet release before hitting the floor. The other balls that adorned then necklace scattered across the floor making the black haired heroine become aware of what she had just done the black specks soon dissipated her eyes glued to Starfire an apologetic look quickly melded onto her face. Honestly it was too late to even apologize now being that she had been dragged into the petty arguments by just getting hit in the face by the controller personally she didn't feel any better than the people she had been judging moments earlier. She winced slightly hearing Starfire's voice not used to the alien girl being annoyed by anything since she had such a joyful air about her, but even she could so how be at the end of her rope about all of this.

"Stop! Friends must never behave this way and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?" Starfire exclaimed looking towards everyone with a worried look on her face meaning that this possible Rekmas or whatever had to be serious.

"Uh gesundheit?" Beast Boy responded in confusion towards what she had said though all of them were curious of what she meant.

"On my planet Rekmas means "The Drifting". The point in which close friends begin to drift apart." She spoke sadly a slight chill ran up Nightingale's spine her eyes glancing back and forth between the others around her a sudden eeriness filled the air for a second. Starfire was wrong they weren't drifting apart right? This was normal teenager arguments and yeah sure powers were involved, but again just normal things to argue about.

"Oh come on Starfire." Cyborg commented trying to brush it off as some sort of joke, but even he seemed a bit bothered by the conversation.

"We are so not Rek-whatever." Beast boy perked up reassuring the alien girl, but again this didn't seem to have much effect on her.

"We're just getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal." Raven had her own input on the situation and honestly she wasn't wrong making Nightingale feel slightly reassured at the moment moving forwards towards the alien girl placing her hands on her shoulders giving her a wide grin.

"Trust me Star I've been in worse arguments than this when I was living with Misty and James in Gotham though I don't have to hear…" She stopped herself for a moment making the others curious on what she was about to say, but she cleared her throat a bit of pink dusted her cheeks thinking back to the times she had to hear the two argue only for it to end in a make-up session or something even worse.

"Yeah it's just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart Star I promise we'll all be friends forever." Robin commented with confidence in his voice at the words he spoke seemed to be enough to perk Starfire up, but the sudden happiness soon shifted hearing the familiar beeping of a communicator going off. He reached down to pull his up the beeping motioned again that they didn't have time to chatter anymore something was either being attacked or stolen. "Titans trouble!"

The others responded quickly moving out of the ops room doors to where ever the signal was being set off at leaving Nightingale and Starfire alone for a moment. The black haired heroine looked back to see the orange haired girl was looking down towards the broken necklace on the ground seeming to be dejected about dealing with a criminal, but she moved closer to her placing a hand on her shoulder startling the alien for a second. She gave another famous reassuring smile to only earn a half one back making her worried about Starfire trying to think of what might be going on in her head though that could wait. There was a villain that needed their ass kicked at the moment and she was itching to take a bit of the anger that had still been built up inside of her out on them…now that she thought about it that didn't seem very healthy. The two of them soon started to move out of the ops room knocking one of the jingly balls away from its resting place not knowing what events would happen and what things a certain orange haired girl would have to go through.

 _Minutes later at the Museum_

The Jump City Museum had been emptied of the patrons that were there usually chatting away at the pieces around them or just admiring the new exhibits that passed through every now and then, but this was a routine being that the new arrivals were just getting the finishing touches placed. One of the newer exhibits that had been set up recently contained clocks from different makers in history that Nightingale wanted to check out being that the Blackwater Foundation were the ones that fronted the bill to get all the clocks under one roof including their rarest find…The Clock of Eternity. The piece honestly looked simple with a cylindrical base and a dome on top revealing the mechanism inside keeping the device running though the black haired heroine was thinking of bringing any willing member of the team here after the opening night, but that might possibly get pushed back now that they were here. She winced at the thought of any of the pieces getting damaged in the supposed ensuing fight and especially the Clock of Eternity since even it was uniquely built that a special clock maker in Germany was the only one who could really fix it if any damage were to occur. Carefully the titans moved along the upper platforms looking over the exhibit curious of why the alarm had been set off in the first place, but they didn't have long to wait seeing a black portal slowly opening before the main attraction making a low hiss expel from her throat.

A man with a goatee stepped out of the darkness covered in some type of armor with golden cuffs around his wrists and a gold chest plate over his upper abdomen. The center of the armor held a sort of disc like object that made her slightly curious of what it could possibly be able to do, but the sound of thundering footsteps interrupted her thoughts spotting two guards entering the room their weapons raised towards the villain who had stared intently at the priceless artifact making a low grumbled growl escape from Nightingale's throat making a few members of the team look at her with curiosity and interest in why she was acting this way.

"Hey stop!" One of the guards shouted towards the man knowing of his intent already, but even that was extremely apparent.

"Stop yourselves!" The man yelled back towards them turning on his heels to wave towards the guards freezing them in place making them become encased individually in ice. Personally Nightingale felt sorry for the police officers and guards of this city being that they usually got the brunt of a super villain's attacks. The man one again turned his attention towards the piece once more smirking lightly at the item like it was nothing more than a game trying to obtain it. "I didn't journey back 100 years to squabble. I came to steal…The Clock of Eternity, valuable in the past, priceless in the future."

He began to reach for the glass making Nightingale want to rush off the platform to attack, but Robin beat her to it throwing one of his famous birdarangs towards the villain the weapon making soft impact with the chest piece the evil doer was wearing only to fall to the ground after hitting its mark. He looked up and sneered at the group making their presence known each member of the team taking a stance with Nightingale holding her fully charged batons a large grin appearing on her face at least trying to seem intimidating. Inside her head she could hear the demon muttering about her no using her powers, but she still needed to at least make sure that she could integrate each ability into the teams fighting styles so now really wasn't the time to do so. She heard Robin say something about the villain keeping his filthy hands off the artifact, but she was more surprised he traveled all the way from 100 years in the future to just to obtain a clock though it again was one of a kind. The villain's voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling above them making her pay attention once more towards the task at hand.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat I've read all about you in the historical archives." The man responded towards Robin's threat with two devices raising from his shoulders a red dot warming up in the center a smirk appearing on his face once more making Nightingale slightly annoyed by its presence. "And now you're all history!"

Red laser beams soon started to shoot in a barrage towards the six titans who soon scattered for their positions towards the floor. Nightingale curled into a ball trying to lessen the impact she was about to take, but the explosion behind her made that almost impossible slamming into one of the wooden pedestal holding another clock hearing it rattle above a wince traveling across her face from the impact. Slowly she stood onto her feet spotting the villain still taking shots towards Robin's direction while he tried in vain to deflect the attacks with his staff, but the weapon soon broke under the pressure making her move quickly to try and take a strike towards him. She almost caught the villain by surprise, but he soon turned on his heel shooting a barrage at her making her try to dodge the oncoming attacks with one baton being shot out of her hand feeling the beam skim across an exposed finger the burn soon became intolerable. Nightingale quickly shook it off, but it wasn't fast enough being hit by another blast to the chest knocking her back towards the ground a cry of pain escaped from her throat only to have her stumble onto her feet once more trying to swell the rest of the sudden strike. Through her agony filled expression she spotted both Starfire and Beast Boy getting taken down by the villain her anger started to swell how could he take them all out so fast? He had mentioned earlier that he had read about them in the archives so it was possible he could have picked up their attack patterns and even ways of disabling them.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The familiar sound of an incantation filled her ears making her look towards Raven seeing her holding up a pair of grandfather clocks surrounded by her magic making her want to protest to using them, but it was already too late seeing that she had already hurled both towards the villain. Even though they were tossed towards him the villain was easily able to move them away his hand almost putting them back down on the ground in a decently safe spot which gave Nightingale a small bit of relief, but that didn't last for long. He shot out a blue beam from his forehead towards the magic user that seemed to knock her back like a shockwave making her levitation falter for a moment causing her to plummet to the ground. The black-haired heroine moved quickly her feet almost skidding across the ground to catch the cloaked girl stumbling only when she landed in her open arms warmth suddenly exploded from her chest, but she needed to ignore it she couldn't indulge in these feelings even if she wanted to make a cheesy joke. She placed Raven onto her feet before moving back into the fray spotting Cyborg trying to attack with his sonic cannon getting a direct hit on the villain earning a victory holler from bionic man only for it to be cut off seeing the man walking through the smoke a shield around him humming lowly while it shut off. Once the shield was down enough the man reached for his belt pulling out a sort of egg timer and tossing it towards Cyborg having it hit directly onto his chest ticking for a few seconds before electrocuting him making her feel the rage underneath becoming unbearable hearing the villain speak with pride.

"You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future." He commented cockiness filling his voice seeming to tick Nightingale off even more the anger from earlier finding a new target to be attached to. She didn't even notice the small black flecks fluttering off her body or the fact that the demon inside was telling her to calm down.

"I've had just about enough of you!" Nightingale howled towards the villain black flecks swirled around her as she began to rush forward hearing Robin protest her hands becoming covered in the black specks while purple flames danced along her fingertips. She jumped into the air trying to go for a high strike, but even she couldn't predict what he was going to throw at her hearing him chuckle for a moment the world seemed to slow down around her watching him pull two shiny balls out from a pouch on his belt.

She watched him smirk towards her not knowing what he had in store for her throwing the two orbs to the ground having them explode on contact. Sparkling grey dust started to float in the air with Nightingale taking a sharp breath already regretting it feeling her throat slowly burning from the inside while her exposed skin also started to singe. She could hear the demon inside hissing lowly knowing what the substance was though it was going to be a hassle from trying to breathe in anymore of the material hoping it would move towards where Raven was. Her fingers snapped lightly the sound of marble crumbling and cracking echoed through the air thorn vines soon shot out from outside the cloud slamming into her side and hurling her outside of the grey cloud her body crashing hard into the ground while the others looked on in slight confusion at what had gone on in the grey dust though the sound of coughing started to fill the air. They were stuck in place watching Nightingale clawing at her throat coughing roughly some flecks of red splattering onto the floor her voice coming out ragged and crisp their faces changing to shock for a split moment at the scene.

"I-Iron...I can't b-breathe!" she hacked out with small bits of smoke billowing off her body a low hiss of pain escaped from her throat while she watched through her agony filled expression seeing the Robin and Starfire being taken out by Warp watching him move towards the Clock of Eternity once more his hand seeming to slip through the glass grabbing onto the piece before taking it out. He turned his back towards the titans while another portal opened in front of him another cough escaped from her throat with a low rumbled growl mixing in with it having a hint of a gurgle thrown in there. Part of her was raging inside wondering how some future archives would even have information on a demons weakness, but then again in the future they might not try to avoid the supernatural.

"Ta-ta Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me." He commented already having one foot in the portal making Nightingale wish that the healing process happening in her body would speed up by now feeling herself trying to hold her body up while another ragged cough escaped from her throat. A loud yell of frustration entered the air making her look up to see Starfire charging in and tackling the villain through the rest of the portal earning a surprised reaction with Robin trying to go after him as well only for the portal to close. He tumbled on the other side turning quickly his eyes widened with fear, but he wasn't the only one meeting azure blue eyes across the room that seemed to swell with panic their voices echoing through the building. One seemed to be surprised Starfire even would do such a thing while the other voice seemed to be flooded with panic and worry at what the alien girl had done.

" _ **Starfire!**_ "

 _Meanwhile with our alien heroine_

The sound of ticking clocks started to slowly move around Starfire, but she didn't care she was too focused on getting the artifact back from Warp and finding a way back to her friends. She gritted her teeth eyes glowing green while she continued to struggle reaching for the clock while another moved slowly above her head the ticking becoming louder before subsiding to a low tone. Warp looked displeased that she was even there, but he if he could possibly separate from this rabid alien though it was going to be impossible to break free from this strong gripped creature.

"Let go!" He shouted towards her struggling more to get out of her grip holding the Clock of Eternity away from her grasp feeling her fists beating against his chest piece in anger.

"You endangered my friends and ruined Blorthog!" Starfire retorted the anger bellowing in her voice while she tried to reach for the clock once more only to miss completely. She soon resorted to hitting against the chest piece ignoring the warning that the villain was shouting to her about damaging the suit. Her mind drifted back to seeing Nightingale racked with pain from the iron substance that had been thrown by Warp to incapacitate her not noticing that she had grabbed onto the device on the man's chest hearing a loud protest being heard while she tore it away sparks floating into the air while the two separated the sound of Warp's screaming filled her ears. The clocks around them started to fade away seeming to follow the one that summoned them before he was soon swallowed by the darkness that slowly started to melt into view. A sudden flash of light startled Star, but she soon started to notice her own decent a scream of terror ripped through her throat while she braced herself for impact. She didn't hit solid ground more like a fluffy mound of snow was her cushion for now popping up from the mound shivering slightly at the sudden change of temperature around her before brushing the snow off her own shoulders and hair. A glint in the snow caught her attention picking up the device that she had torn from Warp's chest looking it over curiously before attaching it to her belt making sure it was secure.

"What has happened? Why is it cold? And where am I…?" She questioned to herself, but her last question was soon answered looking towards the scenery around her seeing a familiar T shaped tower looming above her in disrepair. The large windows showed cracks and with no lights gleaming out of the place seeming as if there was no more warmth left while glass where the ops room would be a lit had a large hole. A worried expression passed over Starfire's face while she slowly started to move closer to the building. "Friends…"

She rushed forwards quickly pushing the doors opened with all her might slipping through to the lower level of the tower going through the lounge area the smell of rotted furniture hit her nose, but she ignored the smell moving continuing on towards the elevator though it wasn't working. Starfire went towards the stairs seeing that they were still in tactic and began to walk up towards the destination her steps becoming heavier at the thoughts bubbling inside her head the sounds of the building creaking around her made unease soon travel though her body…where were her friends at? She finally reached the right floor spotting a large hole in the roof with snowflakes fluttering down from the opening while along the floor multiple different parts had been bent and disassembled making her wonder if Cyborg approved of all this. She called out again for her friends hearing no answers coming from anywhere in the building glancing down towards where their rooms began her eyes widened at the dead thorny vines covering the area some still twitching to life only to finally subside in its resistance to the cold weather…did Nightingale fight someone? She stumbled a bit looking towards what had almost tripped her seeing a vine twitching lightly reaching for her only to die along with the rest from earlier her green eyes soon looked towards the ops room doors seeing that they were sealed shut.

She walked up to the familiar metal doors sticking her hands through a partial opening between them pushing them with all her strength making sure they wouldn't close behind her once she stepped through, but she was taken aback by the disrepair of the living room. Memories flooded into her mind while she walked forward seeing her friends having a grand old time making her heart ache to see them again…where could they have gone? This was their home just as much as it was hers so why were they not here? Her boot gently hit against something on the floor hearing a soft jingle making her look down to the floor spotting one of the necklaces she made for Blorthog lying broken on the floor while the plastic controller that Nightingale had broken in half still lied near jiggling orbs. She carefully bent down a picked one up off from the floor inspecting it spotting stains of rust forming onto the ball only to have it crumble in her hand little chunks of it still trying to hold together when a sudden eerie feeling shuttered along her back making her turn to see an almost familiar red dot looking towards her perhaps her friends were still here.

"Cyborg! Oh Cyborg thank goodness you are…" Her words soon halted holding her hand up with a hum of green energy lighting her way trying to reveal that her friend was just hiding in the dark, but that was not the sound of something scurrying about before her. Scavenging through the computer parts was a cybernetic bug that was built by someone its red eye looking up towards her like it seemed surprised another person had been present. A small shriek escaped from Starfire's throat being startled by the creature shooting a few starbolts at it until there was nothing left, but a few more scavenger bugs crawled out from the pile of scrap they had been scrounging scaring her once more continuously shooting at the ones that had just arrived until there was nothing left. She started to breath heavily wondering who was still in the tower when she heard heavy footsteps headed her way turning towards the open ops room doors to see who it could possibly be her breath getting caught in her throat with a small amount of tears wanting to build up behind her eyes at the person who had come into her field of vision.

"Yo! Who's up here blasting my…" A familiar voice fluttered in her ears her eyes still staring in disbelief at person before her. Cyborg's form looked disheveled and broken the usual blue parts on his body had been replaced with a dead grey tone with a few pieces being cracked. His human part of his face looked worn and weary while his human eye stared at the girl before him in shock while the pipe he was holding clattered to the ground making her notice that one of his robotic legs had been replaced with a yellow one while one arm seemed to be wrapped up from the wrist midway up his lower arm. The sound of something being dragged behind him caught her attentions seeing hoses sticking out of his back while he continued forward in disbelief while he slowly started to walk towards her with the heroine meeting him halfway her own shock had not drowned from her expression. "Star...? Starfire…I don't believe it. You…you haven't aged a day."

"Cyborg what has happened? Why are you…?" She asked curiously her hands reaching forwards placing them on his cheeks a small sad smile formed on his face seeming to be amused by her questioning.

"Old? Well that's what happens to folks when you go away for twenty years." Cyborg finished her question watching her face morph into surprise over is sentence her mouth opened in a silent gasp of shock.

"Twenty years?!" She shouted out of shock looking around the tower hearing Cyborg shuffle past her towards the broken parts of the sofa that lied on the floor carefully propping a suitable seat for Starfire to sit knowing another guest would possibly be here soon…how would she feel seeing her? A small grimace passed over his face as memories flooded into his mind only to shake them off completely.

"You disappeared Star and that battle with Warp was a long time ago. You fell through a wormhole…and well welcome to the future." He commented finally getting a the cushion back into a standing position hearing Starfire sounding confused at the mention of being in the future, but her own thought process was interrupted hearing an older female voice behind her.

"Hey Cy sorry I'm late and I know I apologize for that a lot, but you wouldn't believe the weather outside like there is snow up the a-." The woman stopped her apology her voice sounding familiar to Starfire making her turn around to see who was standing in the ops room doors. "Starfire…?"

The bag of groceries and computer parts fell from their hand before rushing forwards towards the alien girl without warning a strong arm wrapping around her waist pulling her in close towards the new figure in the building while Cyborg watched from the other side of the room a small smile appeared on his face at the reunion. The woman pulled away giving Starfire a full view of a new, but familiar face her green eyes showing different swell of emotions towards the person before her. She had aged well during the twenty year absent that the alien girl had missed out on seeing that she stood a few inches taller now. Short white hair fluttered around her familiar oval face while a bewildered look seemed to be plastered on their features at the sight of the alien girl making her take in the rest of how the woman before her looked. Her costume had been replaced by civilian clothing with a pair of winter boots adorned her feet while worn jeans hung off her frame just a bit giving them enough protection from the cold air slipping into the tower. A black turtleneck hugged tightly to her upper body with a tan trench coat unbuttoned while the left arm of the coat seemed to flutter in the wind with only the shoulder area remaining intact. The orange haired girl soon started to take in the other changes in their appearance noticing their partially tan skin had now changed to porcelain her eyes moving back up towards her face to meet two different colored ones with an array of emotions pouring out of them. Her right eye held a haunting purple color with black filling in the white of the eye while her left contained a familiar azure eye sparkling with wonder while specks of gold fluttered in an out of the sea of blue.

"It's really you…" The woman moved her hand placing it onto her face a sudden unnatural cold feeling resonated from where her fingers had touched her skin. Her different colored eyes looked at girl with a flood of happiness expelling from them at the sight of seeing her once again while a low whisper entered her mind ignoring its input for now.

"Friend Nightingale…?" Starfire asked already feeling that she knew the answer to that question, but watching her react to her speak sent a shudder through the alien girl seeing the woman before her stiffen slightly pulling their hand away from her face a sudden expression of panic appeared on her face at hearing her name flutter out of her mouth. Cyborg watched the two for a few moments more seeing the alien giving a curious look towards the former heroine's motions, but he already knew what was going through the white haired woman's mind.

"It's been a long time since I've heard you say my name…" She muttered softly seeing that Starfire had started to move her hands her mouth opening a bit with an apology already hanging on her lips, but the white haired woman stopped her. "Starfire it's okay I promise you just startled me a bit if I am being honest…when I first saw you I thought I was hallucinating."

"What has happened to you?" The alien girl asked a sense of concern filling her words the miscolored eyes looking back up towards her a small smile graced Nightingale's features making the worrying feeling dissipate at the sign of seeing her friend in a better mood.

"Well that's a bit of a long story and I think it would take a nice chat over some hot chocolate to explain what has happened over these twenty years." Nightingale joked softly trying to mask her own emotions bubbling inside her mind at seeing the other female heroine here the thing inside her head whispered louder rattling her brain a bit, but she didn't want to hear it not right now…not when she finally returned.

Mentioning of how many years it had been seemed to jolt Star back to the earlier conversation she was having with Cyborg reaching down quickly pulling the device she had removed from Warp's chest the two adults around he seemed a bit puzzled by seeing it the bionic man reaching carefully for it taking the item from her grasp. He began to visually study the object in his hand already beginning to draw back on memories from the fight with Warp the man's voice echoing about being from 100 years in the future…so did separating him from the device that helped him travel between different points in time become disrupted by Starfire tearing it off the suit? He looked back towards the other individuals both seeming eager to hear his words on the predicament a sudden peg of familiarity flooded through him at seeing both the girls together once more before a fowl memory clawed its way into his mind making him linger on what Nightingale had done to the tower after her little incident only for the thought quickly dissipate shaking his head for a moment not wanting to dwell on the past giving the device back to Starfire.

"Warp was planning to jump ahead 100 years right? Looks like you stopped him at twenty." Cyborg proposed his assumption taking in that the alien girl seemed to still be confused by it all, the two older members of the team made eye contact taking in that the other female member was worried about person she had moved to stand next, but an odd sense of hope passed over her features for a fleeting second making him curious of what she had been thinking about.

"Still I am confused…please why are you in disrepair and, "Starfire paused for a moment looking towards Nightingale the woman raising a curious eyebrow towards her wondering what she was going to say. "Why does friend Nightingale look like that?"

"Let's just say that things haven't gone so well since you left." Cyborg responded a sudden bitterness mixed with his words with Nightingale reached for her absent arm biting her lip gently feeling the memories flooding back into her mind trying to shake them away though they only seemed to grow stronger with the heroine's next questions.

"But what of the other Titans? Where are our friends?" She looked between the two adults who glanced hesitantly towards each other before looking back towards the orange haired teen both knowing that breaking the news to her would be hard, but Nightingale took the weight of the questions upon herself a soft sigh escaped from her throat catching Star's attention.

"The Titans no longer exist Star...we aren't friends anymore." Nightingale's words expelled from her mouth knowing they weren't of her own thoughts hearing its opinion slipping into her voice looking away from the alien girl already regretting her words. She really only knew where two members of their former team were that she stayed in contact with after she…no both of them weren't to blame for what happened it was her mistake and hers alone already hearing the demon rumbling an apology. Her thoughts flashed to another person before fading back to reality once more, but getting her to realize that she was even there had begun to become difficult internally shaking away those thoughts for now she had to deal with Starfire's reaction to it all.

"No you are wrong. This…everything is wrong how could such terrible things," Starfire responded in the way that the white haired woman expected hearing the familiar voice of the demon rumbling from the back of her mind, but the girl wasn't done yet her green eyes looking towards Warp's device in anger. "Warp! His interference in the past must have changed our future."

"Star I don't think-." Cyborg started to explain to her that it wasn't possible, but he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder making him glance towards the different colored eyes of his former comrade hearing Starfire speak up again once more.

"He caused all this madness to happen. He made this technology and he is the one who can make things right." She confirmed floating towards the two former team members a pleading look filling her green eyes Nightingale looking away quickly knowing it would be impossible for her to ignore covering her face with her hand feeling an odd heat rushing to her cheeks…damn that puppy dog look. "We must find Warp! You will help me?"

"I wish I could, but my last power cell burned out years ago…" Cyborg nodded towards a lone generator in the corner that was hooked to his system a pained expression crossed Nightingale's face being noticed by him sending a grateful look towards her way trying to reassure her. "Nightingale has been helping to try and adapt this stuff to my circuits, but I can't leave the tower Star. I'm obsolete."

"Cyborg if you would just let me take you to the guys at the lab maybe they could…" She tried to plead with the bionic man once more on the subject, but only earned the same disheveled shake of the head the hope once again fleeting from her system with silence filling the air her miss colored eyes moving towards the orange haired girl seeing the hope draining from her as well…damn her partially still beating heart. "Star maybe I can help. I know where Raven is and Cyborg can inform me on where BB is since I lost track of the green imp a few years back."

"And Robin…?" Starfire asked curiously only for the former heroine to shake her head softly the small blink of a smile disappeared from the alien girl's face.

"We lost touch a long time ago. If you're looking for him you're on your own." Cyborg commented taking the words right out of Nightingale's mouth though she tried to think back to the last time she had even heard from the former boy wonder her mind slowly drawing blanks only for an unpleasant memory to return already wanting to take her mind off the subject. Her lips tightened into a sour expression form on her features, but it disappeared quickly tapping the bionic man to get his attention to tell her where the green imp was.

She pulled Cyborg aside to figure out where Beast Boy's location was only to learn that the green man had turned himself into a circus sideshow. Her face fell for a moment before it changed quickly to anger towards herself she should have kept an eye on him if only she had just…no there was no way of fixing the past now or maybe there possibly was if she could get Starfire home. She glanced back towards the young heroine a small sense of hope stirred in her chest for a moment walking away from the bionic man giving him a thumb up signaling all would go decently if she had to bet on it. Nightingale carefully tapped on the girl shoulder startling her for a second, but it was just to get her attention to start their little journey walking slowly towards the broken part of the window the wind fluttered her white hair for a moment taking in a deep breath of cold air feeling the fabric of her turtle neck and trench coat ripping and tearing for a moment her wings extending a bit making Starfire hold back a gasp. Her wings were now stained black not a speck of white was left on a single feather making the alien girl's curiosity grow towards what had happened to the former heroine seeing her back up a few steps folding her wings in for a moment moving into a full sprint out the large hole in the window feeling gravity trying to take hold. She plumped a few stories the wind bustling around her form for a moment enjoying the breeze for just a moment before opening her wings catching herself before crashing into the ground below causing lose snow to flutter up around her.

A small smile graced her lips before flying back up seeing a relieved look on Starfire's face signaling her to follow which the alien girl didn't hesitate to do. The two flew silently towards where Cyborg had told Nightingale where Beast Boy was Starfire watching the former heroine she was flying next to seeing the left arm of her coat fluttering along while they flew a sudden peg of hurt entered her chest. The two of them were so close in the past, but why did it seem like she was trying to hide something from her the memories of seeing the vines scattered in one of the hallways cause a small shutter to travel through her system for a moment. No there was nothing wrong and she wasn't hiding anything from her, but a small bit of doubts still resonated in her mind though she had to ignore it since they were getting close to their destination spotting the carnival tents from the sky. The two soon dived down towards the ground landing safely, but Nightingale didn't make her wings disappear slowly walking forward not spotting a ticket booth anywhere in sight her eyes casting quick glances towards the few people that were milling about trying to spot where the former energetic hero could be performing only to watch Starfire run past her.

She tried to reach out and stop her, but a sudden shutter went through her body causing her to bend over wincing and grasping gently at her chest for a moment a rough cough escaped from her throat going unheard by the young heroine barreling towards a green blob in the distance. Another cough escaped from her body shaking her frame feeling a familiar metallic tasting liquid entering her mouth watching a few droplets pitter into the snow using her thumb to quickly wipe away the liquid hearing the demon voice its concerns, but they were not needed she still had time. Soon she followed after Starfire carefully seeing two boys shouting towards the animal in the rolling cage taking in that it was an usual green color...her eyes widened at the sight of Beast Boy getting pelted by snowballs the ball he had been balancing on his pig nose knocked away with a panicked squeak entering the air before a low snarl escaped from her throat rushing forward past the alien girl at an inhuman pace seeing that one boy had finally resorted to throwing his food towards the poor guy. She and him may have been at odds after the Titans broke up, but treating him like he was a piece of dirt was enough to make anyone mad rushing forwards her voice sounding horse from the coughs seemed to startle the boys and even the alien girl had been affected by it.

"HEY! Get the hell away from him!" She shouted towards them already feeling another cough building up underneath the words, but it had been enough to cause the young degenerates to run away a hint of fear rolled in the air for a moment making her take in a deep breath trying to calm herself spotting Beast Boy shaking off the remnants of the food off his head before changing into his human form. He had become portly over the years and it seemed to of lost the hair on the top of his head, but aside from the aging to his face he still looked like a green little imp though the image running through her mind of him being a wise old mentor in a move had to be choked back.

"You…what are you doing here?" He took notice to the former heroine looking at him with pity from behind the bars glaring at her. "I thought I told you I didn't ever want to see your face again after you..."

"I'm not here for a petty squabble with you Beast Boy…I'm here for her sake." Nightingale cut him off her voice trying to sound sincere moving out of the way so his eyes could take in the orange haired girl that had finally caught up with her watching his displeased look started to melt away.

"No way it's you! But how…?" He stated in a shocked tone the malice from before started to melt away into bewilderment at seeing Starfire standing there before him unchanged by her time travel.

The two started to talk with Nightingale slowly losing interest knowing all too well that Beast Boy might not be willing to help them in this situation. She caught snips of the conversation him mentioning when he decided to go on being a solo hero when the Titans separated, but hearing him mention that he was beaten a lot caused a shutter to pass through her body. Once she had seen one of those beat downs in person with her breaking up the fight knocking the villain off their feet with ease though her help went unappreciated getting into an argument with him over his own safety only to have his petty pride swell up telling her that she wasn't needed. Her miscolored eyes glanced towards him seeing he had changed into a chicken for a quick moment trying to explain his own cowardice that seemed to be pointed at the ones who observed him from the other side of the cage. Finally she wanted to place her input hearing him joke about being in the show business glancing around at the tents around her before letting out a soft laugh catching the green man's attention a scowl being directed her way.

"What you think this is funny? I'm sorry I don't have a multimillion dollar company to fall back on." Beast Boy retorted towards her his glare seeming to worsen to an animalistic degree. "I mean after what you did to the tower I'm even surprised Cyborg even wants to be around you…let alone Raven possibly doesn't want to acknowledge your existence after your little experiment…"

"Shut your damn mouth! You all left us alone to our own devices so I don't want to hear it Mister Show Biz how many times did I offer to help you only for you snub it out because of a petty thing such as pride!" She shouted towards the man ignoring the alien girl trying to plead with her to calm down reaching her arm up her hand gripping tightly to one of the bars feeling it burning her hand slightly though she ignored the pain. Her purple eye slowly started glow with energy surging around it with smoke billowing off the bar from a combination of her skin burning from the contact of the iron and the purple flames dancing along her hand. "Don't you dare start acting high and mighty towards me Gar…I'd give anything to have her just look me in the eyes one last time before I…"

She looked away her face contorted with pain pulling her hand off the iron bar revealing that she had almost completely melted it down to nothing the heat wisping away once the cold air brushed against the slightly molten metal. Starfire rushed over picking up some snow off the ground hoping it would at least help placing it into the woman's open hand the frozen liquid at least soothing the burn a bit Beast Boy and Starfire looking towards each other with concern the former's anger slowly dissipating taking in the state that his former teammate was in. Beads of sweat started to roll down the side of her face while she tried to ignore the pain resonating through her body though this wasn't from the burn hearing it's calming voice enter her mind with a mixture of anger towards her little outburst…they didn't have time to feel any hate towards the green imp not with what little time they had left. She took in a sharp and shaky breath her lips trembling trying to hold back the whimper of pain that wanted to escape from the back of her throat standing up straight giving a weak smile towards the two companions before her catching their worried glances towards each other.

"Friend Nightingale are you alright?" The alien girl's concerned voice pierced through the roar of agony rumbling through her ears giving her a quick thumb up though that didn't seem to reassure the heroine or even Beast Boy for that matter.

"Hey are you sure you're looking paler than usual." He commented reaching through the bar placing his hand onto her shoulder only for her to pull away at the sudden warmth radiating from the touch only to regret pushing him away once more giving an apologetic look.

"Sorry I…Thank you for the concern Beast Boy, but we really better get a move on come on Starfire I don't think he really wants to help." She muttered softly to herself walking past the two Star once again giving him a hesitant look only to feel a hand wrap around her wrist halting her in place turning her head towards him seeing an expression plastered on his face that had never been seen before.

"Hey…keep an eye on her please. I know it seems like were bitter towards each other, but she's been helpful over the past few years ever since Raven…" His stern expression soon faltered for a moment a sudden sadness filtering through his eyes before it was soon replaced with a cheerful expression though the underlying feelings still poked through. "If you guys are seeing her next just be there when it's over with."

He let go of her wrist giving a small wave while a concerned look passed over her features hearing a sharp whistle catching her attention spotting Nightingale watching from a few feet away her expression unreadable. Starfire quickly caught up with the former heroine who had been waiting patiently for her before starting off once again the snow crunching her thoughts lingering on what Beast Boy had said to green eyes glancing up towards the white haired woman wondering what had happened between her and Raven though a part of her mind already linked it to her current state and what Beast Boy was trying to say earlier about some sort of incident happening. Nightingale's wings twitched at the cold air brushing past causing a shiver to travel along her spine her miscolored eyes focusing on ahead knowing where they were headed next a sudden sense of nervousness passed through her body thinking of a certain violet haired companion. She had just found her at this new location and the urge to find her had grown over the past few months her mind fading for a moment trying to remember the last time she had looked at her face only for a sudden burst of pain to resonate from her head stopping in her tracks. Slowly she reached her hand up towards her head spotting the familiar black specks floating off her bare hand her pained expression changed to a somber one hearing the soft thump of her heart trying to reaffirm her attachment to reality feeling a gentle touch being placed onto her upper arm glancing to the side spotting Starfire giving her a warm smile causing a surge of confidence to swell into her chest.

She gave a reassuring smile back her face starting to hurt from all the positive looks she was doing taking in that they were a good distance away from the carnival to take of her wings stretching out behind her twitching with anticipation once more. The takeoff was easier this time her wings lifting her up off the ground with ease while Starfire floated alongside her the two flying off once more into the city carefully moving between the buildings that towered around them with snow fluttering out of the grey clouds above. The nervousness began to build in her chest once more her mouth growing dry spotting the building that Raven was dwelling in for now hear it chime softly in her head that it would be alright, but even it's encouragement wasn't enough to make the sinking feeling disappear landing in front of a pair of haunting gothic gates kicking them in with her boot ignoring the gasp that had escaped from Starfire's throat. Her legs started to move on their own passing through the broken double doors her boots echoing on the cracked marble floors her mind trying to ignore why she would even be in here glancing down the labyrinth like hallways her heart fluttering in her chest a feeling she hadn't given a second thought to. She could hear Starfire trying to catch up, but she was moving too fast finally through looking around the first floor when a soft voice entered her mind making her stop near a staircase leading to the second floor it was faint, but it had to be her. Her feet felt heavy while she stormed up the steps hearing the alien girl not far behind her though she ignored her completely moving towards the door to her left the loudness of her heart thumping filled her ears while reaching for the doorknob the hesitation soon being overcome by determination pulling the door open eyes soon becoming flooded by the pure white room before her breath hitching in her throat spotting the familiar cloaked figure before her.

"Raven…" Her voice echoed in a hush tone along the walls spotting the white hood seeming to flinch at the sound of their name leaving her mouth. A sensation of relief started to wash over her seeing that she was okay and was taking care of herself was enough to wash away the worry that had flooded into her system not even noticing Starfire stepping past her.

"Raven? Raven it is Starfire your friend." The girl commented trying to get the cloaked woman's attention taking in that her usual indigo colored cape was now pure white though her heart dropped at the emotionless tone answering her back.

"No such thing…" Raven muttered softly ignoring the people behind her…no they weren't people they were figments of her mind wanting to play tricks on her. She heard the figment of Starfire pleading with her to listen what was left of her emotions whispered in her mind trying to get her to look at least getting her hopes up, but she still didn't turn towards the duo. "Just another figment…don't even look."

Starfire started to protest once more only for Nightingale to move from her spot halting her in her continuation forwards towards the magic user her miscolored eyes softening towards the cloaked figure. She hadn't seen her in so long and to see her mind decayed like this…a sharp pain echoed in her chest making her move closer her heart seeming to falter with every step that she took towards her holding out her hand reaching towards her hesitantly. Words tried to form in her mouth, but a soft stutter escaped from her lips seeing to catch Raven's attention her cowled head turn slightly catching a stand of violet hair slipping past though the words couldn't escape from her mouth looking away feeling the tears already building up behind her eyes. She turned on her heels quickly leaving the white room entering onto the platform already feeling the hot liquid spilling from her eyes hearing the muffled conversation behind her seeing Raven like that caused memories to start flooding back into her system ones that she had pushed back the hot tears finally cascade down her face dropping against the snow outside of the building while she continued to walk away.

The memories continued to flood into her mind causing her to soon collapse near a car parked along the street her hand clawing at the soft ground beneath her…she hadn't seen Raven in ten years and just seeing her broken like that she stiffened a sob trying to compose herself not knowing when or if Starfire was going to catch up to her. Why didn't she stay with her? Why did she decide to leave when she…Nightingale stopped herself reaching into one of the pockets on her trench coat her body leaning up against the car for support while she continued to search knowing that it was there somewhere just in case she found her again the words slipping out of her mouth already feeling the pain echo in each word.

"I really fucked it up this time…didn't I dear?" She muttered softly to herself continuing to feel the words with memories flooding her mind and panic rising while she tried to find the item she was looking for.

Her fingers gently brushed against a soft velvet box the surge of panic that leapt from her chest started to fade the tears started to slow to a soft drizzle a slight shutter traveled through her system feeling someone placing their cold hands onto her face wiping away the remaining stream of tears like a mother would when their child was bawling over a small injury. Her miscolored looked up to meet a pair of purple eyes resonating bits of pity towards her while a sad smile appeared on the demon's heart shaped face gently placing its forehead against hers before disappearing once more into her mind knowing that this limited contact gave her a bit of comfort, but it just emphasized on what little time they had left. She pulled her hand out of her pocket pushing herself off the ground hearing someone sloshing up then snow behind her turning to see Starfire had caught up with her wearing the same dejected look like when Beast Boy told them he couldn't help…meaning Raven must have pushed her away. She gave a sad smile towards the orange haired heroine about to give her an encouraging and rousing speech only to feel a pair of tight arms wrapping around her giving her a hug causing he brain to falter for a moment before returning it gently with her one arm. Her mind started to buzz wondering if she should even tell her the bad news about her health, but it seemed like the cat might come out of the bag anyways.

"Raven did not remember me…" Starfire sniffled trying to hold back the tears that were building behind her eyes making the older woman hold her tighter hearing her voice quivering. "Friend Nightingale what has gone wrong with our friends…?"

"Starfire…after you left things went downhill for all of us. You were that glue that seemed to hold us together and when you disappeared we all broke apart piece by piece. Since you know everyone's story except mine I think it's proper I tell you." She replied back rubbing her back knowing that the words coming out of her mouth didn't sound so reassuring, but the truth was never something someone wanted to hear. "I had…difficulties with you being gone since I felt like I should have stopped you from going after Warp…if I had just ignored my own problems I could have stopped you and it haunted me to the point I had nightmares of what you were going through and I had to fix it, I had to bring you back. Losing you that day made me realize I'm tired of losing people I care about."

A sharp and shaky breath escaped from her throat pulling away from the heroine seeing her concerned expression, but she wasn't done yet already feeling the memories flooding back into her mind knowing that magic could possible solve it all. Cyborg and Robin helped her build a mock-up of some sort of retrieval device while Raven helped her at least try to find a possible spell that might work though Beast Boy had left a few weeks prior to go out on his own. She could finally get rid of the guilt that had been building inside her mind, but something happened during the first test…she could hear Raven and Robin trying to tell her to stop and Cyborg saying the machine couldn't last much longer. The explosion almost destroyed the tower and her arm changed in the process… Her miscolored eyes looked up towards Starfire holding a somber expression trying to put the words together in her mind on what to say next her memories soon switching to when she gave Raven a place to stay lips trembling at the slightly happy memories flooding into her mind.

"I left the tower not a few weeks after you disappeared retiring from heroism for good and Raven came to my door one night a year later. We were fine for a good ten years and my powers…they were kept in check, but I lost control and Robin," Her lips started to tremble more looking down towards the snow covered ground feeling the happy memories becoming swallowed by darkness her hand reaching towards where her left arm once was the nub that remained seemed to twitch for a moment. "He…we had to resort to drastic measures and Raven didn't approve though we moved past it and things were fine until a month later. I-I woke up and she wasn't there next to me so I panicked looking ever where for her and I…"

She choked back the tears that had started to form behind her eyes not wanting to look like a blubbering fool before someone she thought of as family, but the tears spilled anyways breaking away the calm demeanor to show a person who had been broken for far too long. Nightingale had spent the last ten years searching for Raven constantly picking up her train only for her to arrive too late to even catch the enchantress that haunted her dreams making her extend all the contacts she could scrounge up pestering Dr. Fate* and John Constantine** to see if they could get any information or sightings of her to only have both masters of the occult to come up empty though she stayed with the latter for a while honing what little control she had left over her abilities. It even moved to the extent of the latter getting ahold of Jason Blood*** to get advice from the demon of riddles himself Etrigan only for him to spew out nonsense towards her demise almost wanting to tear the hellion to pieces at the mention of it. She began to wipe her tears away trying to compose herself at the thought of her own demise feeling the demonic energy inside of her eating away at what little humanity remained miscolored eyes looking up towards Starfire exploding with despair and sadness that was starting to eat away at her exterior. The ten years that she had been looking with her own abilities had started to take a toll on her mortal form the demon inside of her constantly pleading with her to give the search a rest, but she never listened.

"S-Star I'm dying. I don't know when, but my mortal clock is ticking away and I just," She felt the heroine rush forwards hugging her tightly once more her one arm returning the same vice grip she was feeling. "Starfire I'm scared I-I don't want to die…"

The alien girl tried to extent more comfort towards the woman falling apart in her arms not knowing what to say and who could? Someone you looked up to and care deeply about like they were your own blood just admitted they were dying and didn't know when their clock would stop the ticking. Anger bubbled up inside the alien girl realizing that all of this could have been avoided and would be avoided if she could just go back in time to return to the team though her wish would be granted quicker than expected. Snow started to be crunched from above the sound of an older yet annoying voice echoed above them the two pulling away from the tender moment their eyes traveling up a nearby building.

"What's the matter dear? Have I come at a bad time?" Warp asked inquisitively towards the younger titan Nightingale taking in the rage that seethed off the heroine before she took off towards the villain shooting off towards him the words faltering in her mouth trying to stop her. He seemed unamused by the sudden action the laser generators rose from his shoulder shooting towards the person who retaliated with green starbolts while the former heroine watched unable to move her mind swarmed with ways on how she could help since it had been years since she even fought a villain of this caliber, but her hesitation was costly hearing the beast inside screaming at her to do something her eyes focusing back on the battle once more. With a simple wave of his hand Starfire was frozen in a block of ice her form dropping from the sky and smashing to the street causing a crater to form underneath her unconscious body. A panicked look passed over Nightingale's face her legs moving on their own towards her fallen friend hearing Warp approaching a snarl escaping from her throat turning while she turned on her heels towards him. The villain had aged since the last time she laid eyes on him, but that didn't matter much to her watching the dark specks fluttering off her body the rumbling in her head echoed once more the demon wanting to tear him apart though she had to ignore the dark thoughts for now.

She tilted her head from one side to the other the bones in her neck popping a bit the darkness spreading along her form while an unemotional face looked towards the older villain seeing his stance stiffen a bit while the darkness around her started attaching to her figure bubbling up for a few seconds causing her to wince slightly. Nightingale's appearance evolved more her fingers changing into sharp claws melting any snow that decided to flutter onto her exposed flesh the darkness spreading in one eye while the other started to slowly melt into the purple coloring while a menacing grin appeared on her face revealing sharp teeth ready to tear him apart. She was about to make a move when the sound of someone groaning behind he caught her attention making the fatal mistake of looking back to see Starfire starting to get up, but a sudden sharp pain distracted her from the relief flooding through her forcing her to hiss lowly her feet stumbling while the smell of singed feathers floated in the air. She ducked avoiding another laser aimed towards her back once again pointing her darkness covered hand towards the villain vines thrusting out of her open palm towards him, but with another wave of his hand he encased them in ice rage bubbling up inside of her trying to summon fire to burn away at the ice only for a wave of nausea and agony to expel from her stomach causing her to grimace a bit trying to stay on her own two feet only to feel them shaking under the weight of the pain. Though she tried to continue the charade that she was in control of the situation Warp had a very sharp eye even in his old age a grin appearing on his face, but it did not linger long hearing Starfire standing to her feet and looking towards her direction.

She glared towards the villain though that soon changed to shock spotting that he had aged as well making him catch on to what she was thinking a frown appearing on his face before speaking towards the alien girl ignoring the older woman who was trying to hold herself together.

"This is what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator." He chided towards her holding his hand out signaling her to hand it over. "The regulator if you please. I really must get back to my future."

"If you ever wish to see your future," She states back to the villain menacingly reaching for the regulator on her belt and holding in one hand while the other was starting to generate a starbolt. "You will repair the damage you have done to my past!"

"Damage? Silly girl there is nothing wrong with your past." Warp replied his eyes glancing back towards the demonic former heroine seeming to struggle with the darkness surrounding her arm spotting it slowly crawling up her upper part reaching towards her shoulder a pitied look passing over his features watching her finally crumple to the ground on her knees. "One cannot damage history because history cannot be changed."

He turned his gaze back towards the heroine holding his regulator before reaching to grab the Clock of Eternity the time ticking by before he spoke up once more. "I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared and history said it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future it is all written in stone my dear."

The minute hand finally took another movement finally landing on the twelve seeming to be the point of his little speech was that there was no way to turn back the clock on any of this before her. Starfire's face faltered her green eyes landing on Nightingale seeming to struggle against her own powers seeing that the darkness had now spread across her chest whilst a pained look grazed over her facial features if history could not be changed then she would inevitably…the orange-skinned girl didn't want to think about what would happen. She slowly lowered her hand the starbolt dissipating into nothing with Warp walking closer towards her taking the lens from grasp without a fight his final words blending into the air as a shout from Nightingale's mouth echoed in the air watching him raise an arm towards her with a blaster attached to his wrist ready to fire. The demonic heroine ignored her own pain trying to spring into action to stop the blast from at least hitting the alien girl, but someone else beat her to the punch quite literally. A shadowy figure slammed into the villain making him stumble into a nearby alley way standing to reveal a black silhouette with long hair pushing the man further down into the alley.

Starfire rushed over towards Nightingale her face swarming with worry, but the former heroine held up her darkness covered hand shaking her head trying to tell her not to get any closer. Inside her mind she was cursing slightly knowing what had gone wrong was not having the same mindset as the demon inside of her body hearing the beast hum an apology towards her while the darkness continued to try and eat away at her, but she didn't want to die yet or ever for that matter. She focused on her breathing calming herself first while the darkness slowly started to slink away from her heart and traveling back down towards the point of origins with her fingers finally returning to their human form with remnants of the darkness still lingering on the tips. A grimaced smile soon appeared on her face her skin growing paler giving Starfire a small nod signaling that it was alright to touch her now feeling a careful hand pick her wrist up gently while the sound of crunching snow filled her ears. The alien girl bent down to help her friend back to her feet feeling an odd jolt pass through her body, but she ignored it giving a warm smile back towards the older woman who nudged her head towards the alley wanting to see who it was that saved them the alien girl having no problem having her older friend leaning on her.

The two arrived at the end of the two silhouettes little squabble seeing Warp blocking the attacks from some sort of explosive device hurled by the unknown hero with a force field dissipating the old man looking up towards the sky above a frown appearing on his face. Nightingale wanted to rush forward to attack the man while he was distracted, but another twinge of pain traveled outwards from her chest making her take a sharp breath in catching Starfire's attention. The alien girl had a sort of panicked look on her face hearing her friend taking ragged breaths though she had to focus on the man before them the sound of something dropping from above made her look back. The villain was already half way through the ground this time fazing through it for his grand escape his words seeming muffled a bit before disappearing all together a silhouette crashed to the ground where Warp once was a light curse escaped from their lips. The two cautiously stepped forward the more hurt of the two from her own inflicted wounds trying to focus on who this could be when they finally spoke their voice unmistakable her thoughts faltering at why he would even be here in the first place.

"It's good to see you, both of you actually." His voice exclaimed forth calmly and in a powerful demeanor the childlike pitch to it had disappeared altogether becoming deeper in tone. Nightingale gave a small eye roll with a hint of a small smile appearing on her face though it looked more like a grimace while her pain slowly started to fade a bit.

"Robin?" Starfire expelled with a hitch of happiness attached to her tone was the first one to speak after his comment a sudden sense of hope seemed to resonate off her person.

"I haven't used that name in a long time." He responded back still in the shadows for only a moment stepping into the light revealing his new look. A skin tight black uniform hugged his older self whom had gotten taller since the last time either girls saw him last his usual traffic color look disappeared all entirely carrying himself proudly. A blue hawk was spread out across his chest while the familiar domino mask covered up his eyes and nose with black gloves covering up his hands with sliver attachments clung to both lower arms. His grey utility belt seemed it be a more modified version of his old one with the final touch his long black hair framed his sharper face leaving the childish image flooding their minds to disappear entirely. "Call me Nightwing."

"Pfft copycat." Nightingale spoke nonchalantly trying to ease the small amount of awkwardness that was being generated by his presence her smile from earlier growing a bit wider seeing he had somewhat enjoyed her joke, but the good times weren't to be had at the moment another jolt of pain traveled through her body causing a rough cough to escape from her throat blood splattering onto her lips reaching the uncovered asphalt below them. Nightwing's face soon changed to a slightly worried expression moving more towards the girls grabbing Nightingale by her chin tilting her face from side to side seeing that the darkness from her other eye had slowly started to spread to her azure eye specks of purple started to peak through the blue causing his worry to soon change to concern.

"Come on I know where we can talk more." He spoke up once more waving his hand for the girls to follow which they obeyed one hobbling a bit before Starfire helped her towards where ever he wanted to take them. It was a long walk Nightingale felt herself fading in and out of consciousness before becoming swallowed into her own mind feeling her body trying to recover a bit giving her a sense of weightlessness, but she did not know where Nightwing was taking the both of them. While she was fading in and out her hearing could pick up the sound of gears churning all around though everything else was lost.

It felt like hours since the last time she had been awake when her miscolored eyes finally opened to see that Starfire or Nightwing had placed her onto a free table to give her some rest feeling a rough blanket slipping over her body her wings finally had dissipated. She sat up checking every part of her body seeing that the pain had finally faded away, but there were still remnants of darkness splashed across her skin just like what had happened to her arm though that thought soon dissipated not wanting to linger on the past much longer. The room she occupied was large containing a few blank computers and a control panel to one side making her curious of how long Nightwing had even been in the city since the last she heard of a Robin sighting was that he had been in Bludhaven, but that's when he own informants were unable to find him.

Her eyes moved away from the computers towards two cylindrical storage containers spotting Starfire standing in front of one though her expression was hard to read from her reflection. From what she could spot in the container it was the Robin suit sitting there collecting dust like a fond memory to look upon once in a while, but a soft sigh escaped from the orange skinned girl's throat seeming like she was disappointed to see it like that. Nightwing came from a side room carrying a blanket spotted their sleeping friend had finally awakened seeing her staring in Starfire's direction seeing her staring longingly at the costume. He silently walked towards her wrapping the blanket around her catching the girl's attention once more away from the costume.

"I've heard you've been looking for help." Nightwing commented the sudden tension in the air slowly started to slip into despair with Starfire's hopeless look travelling across her features. Nightingale looked away from the two remembering Warp's words echoing in her mind wanting them to disappear not wanting to hear the cynical man anymore though Starfire seemed to be more affected by his words than she was.

"There is nothing you can do…there is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired and the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems." Starfire spoke softly her voice pinging with hopelessness echoing off the walls. The white haired woman slipped off the table she was on her boot gently hitting against the concrete already hearing the demon inside protesting that she needed to sleep more, but there was a certain person who needed reassuring. Her strides continued hearing Nightwing speak up in an affirmative manner towards the orange haired girl's comments.

"So its impossible." He moved towards the computers his hand resting on the control panel before turning towards Starfire a smirk appearing on his face. "Good if memory serves we've done the impossible before."

Starfire stared at him speechless for a moment feeling a firm grip being applied to her shoulder her eyes tearing away from Nightwing for a moment to see that her former comrade had finally awoken form her light slumber miscolored eyes seeming to smile back at her. The small amount of remaining hope that lingered in her chest started to grow once again, but there was a bit of a falter at what the three of them could even do in this situation though Nightwing had the answer all along.

"I held onto this just in case." He pressed a button on the panel among many there causing a part of it to split apart revealing an old titan communicator sitting there in pristine condition. Star and Nightingale moved closer one hoping that her eyes were not deceiving her while the latter seemed to be reminiscing on old memories watching him pick up the device from its holder pressing a button on the side. The T in the center started to flash red causing the stones on Starfire's costume to glow and flash with the same coloring revealing that they were some sort of emergency system. Nightingale felt warmth expelling from one of her pockets reaching down towards it pulling out the center piece of her old utility belt seeing the N flashing red towards her a grin appearing on her face at the invitation set forth towards her. Across the city each of the former titans were receiving the same signal to come and aid their comrade, but who would actually answer was up in the air.

The three waited there for a moment before springing into action knowing where Warp would be their minds focused on the museum and that alone. The villain in question was already there two armed guards once again frozen in place while he twiddled away in the back with his regulator welding it back into place. The clock exhibit from the past was no longer there replaced by the computer equipment that now covered the exhibition hall the villain grinning slightly knowing he was close to victory.

"Tic-tock." He exclaimed with a hint of excitement in his old weathered voice before continuing. "Just a few more seconds and I shall finally-."

He was cut short by a short staff hitting against the tool he had been using to repair the regulator hurling it away from the man who cried out in pain and surprise at the sudden attack. His view moved up towards the balcony spotting Nightwing and Starfire standing at the ready to fight against him, but where was the other one? No matter these two would be easy to defeat and he would be back to the future in no time at all.

"The future will have to wait." Nightwing commented towards the old man extending his staff out to the full length. "You just ran out of time."

The elderly villain let out a frustrated growl towards the two heroes bringing out his shoulder lasers firing a few rounds at them causing them to dive away from the attacks. A smirk appeared on his face for a moment on to be wiped away when a chill ran down his spine causing him to turn on the heels of his boots towards the shadows behind watching the demonic heroine slipping out of the shadows. A sharp toothed grin appeared on her face purple flames danced along her arm while it covered in darkness once rushing forward sending a swipe towards his wrist with it coming up to block the sudden attack. This seemed to only be a diversion though watching her slink back into the darkness the grin from earlier not disappearing while Warp turned to see a barrage of explosive disc headed his way along with a few starbolts bringing his force field to life once more. The two reached floor level with Nightingale melting out of the shadows created by the computers nearby ready to fight alongside both of them already feeling a small ounce of pain appearing, but she ignored it entirely knowing it would fade at some point. Warp dispelled his force field glaring in anger towards the heroes before firing off both shoulder lasers with no end in sight this only makes them move forward towards the villain dodging and weaving through the chaos with Nightingale's trench coat receiving minor damage from the attacks. Star is the first to strike sending a shot towards the man only to see him deflect it just like twenty years ago, but she was more prepared this time dodging the ricochet. The white haired woman moved in second hurling a few purple flames towards the older villain hitting a pouch that was attached to his side where he held the iron dust balls melting them causing the villain to cry out in pain while black vines slowly creeping out from the marble flooring to help aid in keeping him there. She quickly moves out of the way only to have a laser barely miss the side of her face only to duck back into the shadows once more lying in wait for her next attack.

Nightwing continued on jumping in the air when he arrived close enough to the villain, his staff raised high above his head, before bringing it down onto one of the lasers attached to Warp's costume shattering it making it lose power altogether. He landed behind Warp making the villain struggle to turn on his heels blasting away the vines from the floor only for a starbolt to slam into him once his back was turned bowling him over a bit creating a larger shadow along the ground. Nightingale appears quickly slamming her fist into the villain's face a laugh escaping from her throat before ducking back into the ground once again melding with the shadows a sudden glee expelled from her person part of her missed this. She appeared behind a pillar her eyes watching eagerly for her next opening watching Warp shooting more laser strikes towards Starfire to no avail only to bring his attention back to Nightwing who tried to do an overhead swing towards the villain, but was unable to land a hit on him with a barrage of laser blast heading towards his way. The blasts were easily blocked by the black cladded hero his staffs not even showing signs of breakage swinging towards the time traveling bandit making him take a step with each block though he didn't seem to be ready for the roundhouse kick aimed towards his face causing the golden villain to falter slamming into the ground.

The two other heroes moved closer towards the fallen man Starfire dispersed her starbolts thinking he was already down, but the white haired heroine noticed a small twitch to the man's left hand. Her eyes widened emerging from the shadows trying to call out a warning towards the orange haired girl, but it was too late Warp blasted straight up towards the roof above her causing rubble and snow to come crashing down onto the unsuspecting alien. A low animalistic snarl escaped from Nightingale's throat her eyes aglow with the familiar purple hue rushed forwards watching Nightwing get knocked away by the time traveler's wrist blaster flames danced along her fingers and up her arm raising it to strike from above only to be knocked back herself into a pillar creating a dent in the marble. She tried to shrug off the pain feeling it whip back at her tenfold the searing sensation traveled through her body gritting her teeth while struggling release herself from the marble's hold succeeding in the process only to drop down to the floor in a heap. Her bones felt like jelly at the moment, but that could be ignored stumbling to her feet once more heavy and bated breaths escaped from her throat flames expelling along with each one the purple in her eyes seemed to be brimming with magic. The demon hummed softly in her mind like it was trying to tell her something important, but she ignored it for now she would get a lecture later on the matter whatever it may be seeing the battle was almost far from over.

Purple started to slowly seep from underneath her skin running along like cracks across the marble with every heavy step she took a low rumble escaped from her throat, but her rage slowly started to seep away watching Warp's tool be knocked out from his hand once again getting slammed in the chest by a familiar blue beam of light from a certain sonic cannon. This hit launched the villain across the room slamming into a cabinet finally to stop him from being blasted through a wall with a smirk appearing on Nightingale's face turning to see the familiar bionic man standing there his circuits aglow with power once more. Nightwing had in the matter of minutes was able to get Starfire free from the rubble the two joining the white haired heroine while she stood next to him while he lowered his cannon both glad that he even was here in the first place. Their excitement was short lived however with Warp standing to his feet once more holding one of the time devices from all those years ago in his hand once more.

"So sorry," His words echoed coldly across the marble floors the bitterness seeming apparent that he wasn't too keen on the titans stopping him once more. "Perhaps I should finish you first!"

Before he could even get a chance to throw the device towards the bionic man a green lion charged across the already damaged flooring towards him slashing sharp claws against the golden armor the villain wore catching him by a sudden surprise. Nightingale watched the villain bring up his wrist to shoot off a beam towards the lion who was recovering from the strike making her rush blindly forward hearing Starfire trying to tell her to stop her arm reaching out and gripping tightly onto the man's wrist. The two started to struggle the one armed heroine getting a small upper hand for a few seconds, but the bravado soon faltered the old man getting the upper hand slamming his free fist into her stomach catching the air in her throat before knocking the white haired woman to the ground. Time felt like it started to slow with the barrel of the wrist cannon aimed straight for her face knowing that she might not be able to dodge in time her miscolored eyes closing waiting for the impact sending a silent goodbye to the others in the room. The sound of a familiar yelp of surprise escaped from Warp's throat once more snapping her out of the small moment of despair and possible over dramatic flair her eyes opening to see the man once again getting hurled across the room a black aura surrounded him for a moment.

All five heroes watched in shock before a large grin appeared on the white haired woman's face watching a black form rising up from the ground a black bird stretching out its wings before swirling back in on itself to reveal the white cladded sorceress. Nightingale tried to scramble to her feet, but she felt her bones turning to jelly once more at the sight of the telepathic titan her smile never faltering for a moment. She carefully lowered herself back to the ground hovering above the floor by a few inches her voice seeming to contain that monotone sound though there was a threatening tone to it with certain pitches.

"Nobody hurts my friends." She spoke towards the villain firmly her eyes seeming to move towards the fallen heroine floating towards her holding out a hand gracefully waiting for her to take it. She didn't have to wait long feeling a warmth shooting through her arm something she missed for quite a while, but they didn't have time to reminisce now there would be time after the fight hopefully.

The others soon were standing at the ready the with the two of them joining the stand-off the last being Beast Boy who was rubbing his human head for a moment muttering about something being unfair. Warp had finally gotten back to his feet for one final time his regulator attached fully to his chest piece opening a wormhole a smirk appearing on his face as if he had won against them. Nightwing hurled something towards the time traveler with him doing the same the former's spreading out to looking like one of his birdarangs that had been seriously upgraded slicing cleanly through Warp's device before slamming into his regulator causing a crack to appear across the opal colored glass. Electricity arched from the device traveling along his body causing the villain to start panicking before the changes began making the Titan's stare forward at what was unfolding in front of them. He began to age backwards his voice of anger soon turned to panic and higher pitched continuing to do so before he soon disappeared into his armor with it clattering to the floor. Beast Boy was the first one to make a move carefully walking forwards and reaching to remove the breastplate revealing a screaming infant wrapped in the black fabric that Warp had been wearing though what he had said to be quirky about the whole situation was soon ignored their eyes moving towards the wormhole that was beginning to close.

"We gotta get you home come on!" Cyborg shouted towards Starfire pulling the regulator free and forming his cannon once more shooting a beam towards the portal slowly forcing it back to it's original size though for how long it would hold was unknown. "I'm redirecting the wormhole, Starfire go!"

Nightwing nodded towards the alien girl signaling her that it was time to go her steps hesitantly moving towards her only way back. She turned on her heel taking them all in one last time seeing that Nightingale was gripping Raven's hand tightly the cloaked magic user returned the same gesture while everyone looked on towards the young titan. Nightwing stepped forward towards Starfire a blank expression masked his face for a moment meeting her near the portal wanting to say a farewell, but she spoke before him.

"Please must this really be out future?" She asked towards everyone who all stayed silent watching Nightingale look down biting her lip wanting to say something towards the alien girl, but she seemed to be holding herself back. "Is there nothing I can do to change it?"

"I'm sorry Star. There isn't time." Nightwing responded towards her drawing her green eyes towards his form seeing them watering up a bit. He reached forward placing the Clock of Eternity in her hand the girl lowering her head for a moment her frame shaking slightly at the thought of this future existing at all.

"Starfire! Don't believe what Warp said. The future isn't set in stone; it is what you do in the present that can alter everything!" The white haired woman exclaimed catching everyone off guard seeing a familiar cheeky grin appearing on her face towards the alien girl who looked up from her for a moment seeing the tears welling up in her green orbs. A look of hope appeared on the girl's face feeling the sudden pressure of someone placing their hand on her shoulder looking towards Nightwing one last time a tender smile forming on her lips watching him return to the others to watch her leave giving her one last image of seeing everyone together. Carefully she took a few steps forward before being swallowed up by the black gateway it closing behind her once and for all in the blink of an eye.

 _Present Day Jump City_

Warp was saying his farewell towards the Titans once again a sudden sense of déjà vu creeped over the scene watching Starfire bolting forward in anger towards the gold cladded man the two soon crashing through the portal. In the blink of an eye Starfire was gone causing panic to flow through Nightingale's body scrambling to her feet to where the alien girl was last seen her eyes not believing what had happened a sudden numbness traveled through her. If she had just stopped Starfire everything would have been fine, if she had just ignored her own injuries the alien girl would still be here, but she was too late to even do anything. Robin looked towards her with worry watching the black cladded heroine seeming to kick herself mentally for not doing anything his gloved hand reaching towards her for some sort of comfort at least.

"Um, where did she-." Before Beast Boy could even finish the full sentence that wanted to escape from his lips a flash of light expelled through the gallery originating behind him and Cyborg causing Nightingale to stand quickly to her feet to see what was happening. Her eyes widened spotting a portal opening up watching huddled up figure rolling out from the opening before halting in a kneeling position a familiar clock being held in their hands. The sound of the boys rushing over towards the person was enough to cause her legs to move forward pushing past them all to see Starfire looking up at them with a smile on her face holding the Clock of Eternity up towards them triumphantly.

"History said it disappeared, but history was wrong!" She exclaimed happily towards them all her green eyes soon becoming full of surprise feeling someone wrapping her tightly in a hug only to feel fingers tugging against her cheeks.

"Goddamn it Starfire do you know the type of fright you gave me? Quick are you hurt, is there any limbs missing, how many fingers am I holding up?" Nightingale rattled off question after question finally holding up three fingers in the alien girl's face, but she soon was enveloped in a strong hug quickly taking her breath away the black haired heroine struggling to breath. "S-Star please…I can't breathe…"

 _Back at the Tower after Starfire explained where she went_

Everyone looked towards the alien girl in awe while she recounted what happened while she was in the future, but she left out a few details pertaining towards Nightingale not knowing it if was proper to even bring it up around the others. She continued to recount everything from beginning to end already feeling herself wrapping it up already seeing the others listening intently towards her knowing she was near the end anyhow. Nightingale had seated herself on the counter her legs crossed her azure eyes watching and listening with curiosity towards the future laughing when she heard that Beast Boy had been balding in the future was enough to send the green imp on a tyrant before calming down enough sulking with tears expelling from his eyes.

"Then Nightwing handed me the clock and I entered the vortex." She finished it off a warm smile was sent towards her teammates watching their reactions towards the ending of her story.

"Whoa." Raven spoke up first her face seeming to hold a bit of shock towards the future though she wasn't the only one to voice their opinion hearing Beast Boy going on another rant of him going bald in the future another snicker expelled from the black haired heroine's throat.

"Shut up at least I'm not missing an arm in the future!" Beast Boy retorted back towards the heroine hearing her cackle some more before halting mid laugh looking towards him with smirk.

"At least I look like a badass without my arm unlike you which by the way you sound like a middle aged dad in the future." Nightingale chided back earning a glare from the imp knowing that he was going to get back at her some way or another, but it was too easy to pass up teasing him. He made a mad dash for her only to be stopped by Cyborg holding him back from the beating he was about to sustain from the black cladded girl seeing her smirk growing even more.

"Guess you were right about that Rekmas stuff." The bionic man said towards the alien girl finally getting Beast Boy to calm down after shooting Nightingale a look telling her to at least hold off on teasing the green imp.

Robin voiced his own concerns to all of them drifting apart, but Starfire reassured him that they had already changed Warp's past so it was possible they had changed the future also. The soft sound of bells being lifted off the ground caught Nightingale's attention watching Raven's magic enveloping them and reassembling the necklace once more. She grinned towards the magic user seeing that she was avoiding her gaze at the moment, but her mind slowly started to wander away towards what Starfire had said knowing that the girl might possibly be holding some things back. A frown formed on her face wanting to ask the alien girl for some other information on the future unknown of how long those memories would even linger in her mind more over how she even ended up in such a state. The sound of bells jingling caught her attention seeing Raven standing before her holding out one of Starfire's necklaces a light blush seemed to be dusted across her grey cheeks taking her mind away from the future for now, the present was what mattered now. She let the violet haired heroine place the jingling piece of jewelry around her neck feeling her fingers touching her skin on accident causing a blush to appear on her own face the two soon moving away from each other both trying to not show that they were even that close, but a pair of green orbs was watching them the whole time a small smile appearing on her face wondering what their relationship would be like now that the bleak future could possibly be avoided.

* * *

 **I AM FINALLY DONE HOLY SHIT THAT WAS 31 PAGES PLEASE HADES MY FINGERS HURT.**

 ***coughs* anyways my fingers are on fire at the moment because I was trying to finish this up before I had to sleep. I feel so happy and free like dear lord its done. Also iron has a certain weakness to demons and those connected to the fae so…yea that's why she gets affected by it. Also anyone want to guess what was in the little black box? Huh? Go on try and guess.**

 ***Dr. Fate: A DC superhero and an occult expert being one of the Lords of Order. He wears a fancy helm that grants him magical powers from the ancient being known as Nabu being his vessel in return.**

 ****John Constantine: An antihero of the DC universe and an occult detective of sorts that hunts down things that go bump in the night knocking back just as hard.**

 *****Jason Blood: A world leading expert on the occult and demonology in the DC universe. He had been around since the sixth century ever since Merlin the Wizard bound the demon Etrigan to his soul.**

 **Anyways lovelies I am tired as can be so please leave a review, follow the story and please be at peace~ I am out for now until next time!**


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